(L+CR) Kyoukai no Kanata (Beyond the Boundary)

[Triple_R]

It's good to make it clear that this is a gag episode, since that can explain (at a meta-level) why the characters are acting more stupid than usual.

But people sometimes also need an in-canon reason to be cool with something. I'll probably leave it at that.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

It's good to make it clear that this is a gag episode, since that can explain (at a meta-level) why the characters are acting more stupid than usual.

But people sometimes also need an in-canon reason to be cool with something. I'll probably leave it at that.

I think that's because a gag episode is more like a tradition, just like any tradition from different cultures out there.

Many traditions don't make sense, but it's there to be understood.

[Haak]

Ultimately it all comes down to what you want out of Kyoukai no Kanata. About half way through the episode, my suspicions were confirmed that this is just a gag episode so I enjoyed the rest of the episode as such. Well I enjoyed it as much as I could. In the end, I didn't hate it but I didn't particularly like it either so it was just average for me. But there are several problems that I personally have with this episode:

1) I was hoping to expect something different out of Kyoukai no Kanata. Something different from the typical moe/slice of life safe zone that KyoAni hardly strays from. Despite Free! targeting a different demographic, I didn't think its narrative was all that far from the safe zone either. So episodes like these are confirming my suspicions that Kyoukai no Kanata is falling back on that safe zone again and using the interesting supernatural setting as nothing more than a fancy dressing of what is essentially the same damn thing (I hope I turn out to be wrong on this but 'd rather I didn't have to hope being six episodes in). The truth is that I just don't want a gag episode.

2) PocariSweat says the episode is stupid but I heavily disagree. I don't think it was stupid at all: In fact i thought a good deal of the gags were fairly clever. What I do think is that the episode was silly. Silly doesn't necessarily mean stupid. Valvrave is pretty silly but it's silly in surprisingly clever ways. Uchouten Kazoku was also pretty silly but there was heart behind it ("idiot blood"). In the same vein as above, that's also another reason I didn't want a gag episode. If it's going to be silly, then it will easily lose its dignity. Some shows get away way with it for various reasons (e.g. Uchouten Kazoku gets away with it because it's generally light-hearted) but I just don't think it fits very well in this show because what we're hoping for are dark mysterious supernatural stories. That's where its dignity lies and it runs totally counter to gag episodes like these.

3) The gag episode wasn't even that good: As TripleR pointed out, you can have a gag episode that expands or develops characters at the same time. They can still get mixed results depending on how the comedy is done but Gargantia is a decent example. And despite people's complaints, HSI's third episode is also a good example. But here, we didn't get anything at all: It was just a rather pointless episode.

[Arya]

^Yep, for me your second-third forth point is the main reason I didn't like this episode, despite enjoying the idol section. It was a pointless episode. I never watch OVA's for the same reason. Unless the series were already silly to begin with, like IS.
I personally didn't like even the so predictable twist of the perverted-youkai, after all the Mirai shots already.

[RobotCat]

Originally Posted by Haak

2) PocariSweat says the episode is stupid but I heavily disagree. I don't think it was stupid at all: In fact i thought a good deal of the gags were fairly clever. What I do think is that the episode was silly. Silly doesn't necessarily mean stupid. Valvrave is pretty silly but it's silly in surprisingly clever ways. Uchouten Kazoku was also pretty silly but there was heart behind it ("idiot blood"). In the same vein as above, that's also another reason I didn't want a gag episode. If it's going to be silly, then it will easily lose its dignity. Some shows get away way with it for various reasons (e.g. Uchouten Kazoku gets away with it because it's generally light-hearted) but I just don't think it fits very well in this show because what we're hoping for are dark mysterious supernatural stories. That's where its dignity lies and it runs totally counter to gag episodes like these.

3) The gag episode wasn't even that good: As TripleR pointed out, you can have a gag episode that expands or develops characters at the same time. They can still get mixed results depending on how the comedy is done but Gargantia is a decent example. And despite people's complaints, HSI's third episode is also a good example. But here, we didn't get anything at all: It was just a rather pointless episode.

Spoiler for Comparison to Outbreak Company:

I agree. Compare this episode to say Outbreak Company 06, where it was way more over the top, but still managed to progress 2 major subplots and give character development to the main characters and it didn't involve any of the characters acting contrary to established canon. The JSDF sub plot it advanced was also quite dark, yet fit perfectly well with the lighthearted episode and it's hopeful resolution.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Originally Posted by RobotCat

Spoiler for Comparison to Outbreak Company:

I agree. Compare this episode to say Outbreak Company 06, where it was way more over the top, but still managed to progress 2 major subplots and give character development to the main characters and it didn't involve any of the characters acting contrary to established canon. The JSDF sub plot it advanced was also quite dark, yet fit perfectly well with the lighthearted episode and it's hopeful resolution.

Spoiler for Comparison to Outbreak Company:

Your comparison is kind of moot since: 1) Outbreak Company is, in essence, an over-the-top comedy show to begin with, and 2) The episode you're referring to is not a gag episode when compared to the overall series.

So, comparing KnK eps 6 to Outbreak Company eps 6 is comparing apples to oranges, or even worse than that.

[RobotCat]

Originally Posted by Obelisk ze Tormentor

Spoiler for Comparison to Outbreak Company:

Your comparison is kind of moot since: 1) Outbreak Company is, in essence, an over-the-top comedy show to begin with, and 2) The episode you're referring to is not a gag episode when compared to the overall series.

So, comparing KnK eps 6 to Outbreak Company eps 6 is comparing apples to oranges, or even worse than that.

Spoiler for Comparison to Outbreak Company:

It could very well be a gag episode if it didn't interweave with the plot so well. Just like KnK 6 could have been integrated more with the overall narrative if the writer tried a bit harder instead of just saying, 'Oh I wanted to do a random gag episode in the middle of the show, sorry if it didn't work well, oh well'.

Also, the amount of silly gags added to this show compared to the LN already makes it pretty much a moe comedy show half the time. They just don't balance it well with the 'serious' portions at all. KnK has like a 50/50 comedy/drama balance. Outbreak Company is something like 70/30 comedy/drama, but it blends it together so much better than KnK, where the aspects of the show just don't really work together at all.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Originally Posted by RobotCat

Spoiler for Comparison to Outbreak Company:

It could very well be a gag episode if it didn't interweave with the plot so well. Just like KnK 6 could have been integrated more with the overall narrative if the writer tried a bit harder instead of just saying, 'Oh I wanted to do a random gag episode in the middle of the show, sorry if it didn't work well, oh well'.

Spoiler for Comparison to Outbreak Company:

It sounds like you're assuming or wanting OC eps 6 to be a gag episode instead of being sure that it is a gag episode.

Ok, let me tell you something. There are some well-known traits regarding a gag episode, but I'll mention two which are important in this case:
1.) Gag episode is meant to be a break from the main plot, not moving it further.
2.) Gag episode is meant to explore the characters in a sillier way than we normally get.

Outbreak Company eps 6 doesn't fit those two criteria coz:
1.) It's still moving the main plot further by introducing even more human culture (soccer) in general and also otaku culture (PSP games, new sport anime, etc) which is the main point of the entire show.
2.) The characters portrayal does not deviate from the norm in a sillier way. They still behave like they normally did in the previous normal episodes.

[OkamiNoKaze]

This episode was pretty funny, caught me off guard for sure. I really thought Shizuku or one of the others would have swooped in at the end to finish it off "stealing" the kill out from under them, Ayaka did mention her possibly hunting it too. Maybe she did get it off screen after the episode. I did like the song though, then again it's always great to hear Minori singing. I can see it now, the next Kyoto Animation project, "Vocaloid"

[klare]

1 week of practice in hell wasted... yup funny episode

[orion]

Originally Posted by klare

1 week of practice in hell wasted... yup funny episode

It's not wasted. They only need the 6th person who is willing to share the profits to do the actual kill.

[Anime Online]

Well, it is unlikely they could have bagged that fruit dreamshade anyway. The anime seems determined to keep Mirai in a state of constant poverty. Anything she touches would be worth only a few hundred yen.

[FateAnomaly]

Interesting show so far but why does it seems like the reward gets better the easier the bounty is?

[Breimoon]

Originally Posted by orion

It's not wasted. They only need the 6th person who is willing to share the profits to do the actual kill.

that rat would be enough if he only stopped getting fat.

[FateAnomaly]

They lost because they were being stupid. They just have to tank through the non damaging rush the fluid and kill it. There is also two rows of air conditioners that is more or less above the water level.

[Shadow5YA]

Originally Posted by FateAnomaly

They lost because they were being stupid. They just have to tank through the non damaging rush the fluid and kill it. There is also two rows of air conditioners that is more or less above the water level.

Mitsuki could have also controlled her youmu pet to attack from a distance. It was a silly episode that was never meant to be taken seriously.

[EroKing]

[orion]

Originally Posted by Shadow5YA

Mitsuki could have also controlled her youmu pet to attack from a distance. It was a silly episode that was never meant to be taken seriously.

If she hadn't fed it so much, then he could have taken out the demon. The rat needs to be on a diet now.

[Dextro]

The only thing I got from this episode was that KyoAni is still very good at their usual slapstick comedy and that they really need to do an idol anime

I also don't get why people say this was worse than the scenes in idolm@ster. I'm a big fan of that franchise and loved the anime but I still cringed everytime those dance scenes came up. Mixing 2D animation with 3D doesn't make a dance scene good especially when both look awful on their own let alone together. :-\

[EroKing]

Images

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?