Futakoi Alternative

[Moogster]

Can I ask something that I need clarified?

Spoiler:

Since he kissed Soujyou in ep 12. Does it mean Rentarou likes her more than Sara?

I just need this cleared because it has been bugging me.

And yeah this is a great anime. I don't know why but in the end after marathoning this. I felt touched, and I don't know why.

[NoSanninWa]

No. He was just doing what was appropriate at the time. It doesn't mean that he doesn't have similar feelings for Sara. I think there is enough evidence at the end of the show that both girls are loved equally.

[Moogster]

Thanks thanks, I felt that too in the final episode but it just ticked inside my brain that I just had to ask.

[Skane]

Originally Posted by NoSanninWa

No. He was just doing what was appropriate at the time. It doesn't mean that he doesn't have similar feelings for Sara. I think there is enough evidence at the end of the show that both girls are loved equally.

Actually, that's debatable.

Throughout the series, the relationship between Soujyu and Rentarou was implied to be closer than the one between Sara and Rentarou. Ever since the twins met Rentarou, it has been Soujyu who helped to push him on further( optimist), while Sara was the defeatist( pessimist).

The subtlety of the their optimism/pessimism aspects is highlighted in numerous scenes throughout the series.

This is also possibly one of reasons why Sara decided to leave Soujyu with Rentarou; because she felt that the two of them were very close with each other. Closer than her and Rentarou in any case.

So while it can be said that Rentarou loves the both of them, he probably has more fondness for Soujyu.

Cheers.

[martino]

I would agree with Skane on this one, though IMHO I think that he's pushing his feelings for Soujyu inwards from surfacing because it would cause heartbreak to Sara...well, that's my opinion.

[Skyfall]

Just finished this little piece of oddity, and i have to say - wow, was i impressed.

The first episode sure is kinda misleading about the direction this is going to take ... that is, if you ignore the fact that the direction keeps shifting left and right

Wee start with some crazy action/comedy, that develops in to a melancholic slice-of-life romance/drama, which manages to evolve in to a crackpot action with drama and romance on top, with some nazis wwII leftover squids and stuff

The characters were surprisingly well developed and deep - much more than i expected from ep1 ... i would dare to say that this series has one of the best set of characters i have seen, and they develop nicely.

It is filled with randomness, but it is kinda deep randomness, if you know what i mean. A very nice experiment with mixing genres that ended up as a big success.

Also, Rentarou is a pretty likable main character. ( He reminds me of myself in a way ) And his relationship with the twins is portrayed nicely, and you could literally feel the love in the air, like when they went missing for 9 days and he was nothing short of mopping around - perfectly shows that the two girls were the only thing in his life with any significance.

Also, when this show is in its dramatic angsty part, it manages to get that mood across very well ... much better than some of the pure dramas i have seen, despite this one being such a mixed bath. The slow soundtracks during those moments help a lot as well.

They were wise to focus on one pair of the twins - one of the flaws of the original Futakoi was its over abundance of characters, and even though it tried to focus mainly on two pairs of twins, character development and depth still suffered from it.

Tha animation was quite beautiful as well ... the character designs are very nice, at least for the main characters, and i liked the backgrounds as well - they seemed to be "full of life" - they truly enhanced the scene and were noticeable, not simply being there as a bland and lifeless scenery.

Oh - and all hail for a (somewhat) threesome ending
Tho i have a feeling that he is somewhat closer to Soujyu than Sara.

Btw - am i the only one who loves the devilishly crazy police chief ? His battle with the squid was hilarious


A very nicely done anime, surprisingly good and enjoyable, very successfully mixing a lot of genres together and introducing a set of well developed characters. My hats off to the producers of this thing - this has (completely unexpectedly) moved in to my top5, and i believe it is there to stay

Definitely underrated.


Though one thing keeps bugging me - why couldn't Sara and Soujyu simply refuse the marriage ? They didn't have anything to lose ... or did i miss anything? As far as i see it there was no reason for them to follow through with the marriage - the other guy needed it, not them.

[npal]

Dirty Harry ruled

Indeed, those people know how to do business. It's stuff like this, that throws in some really ridiculous nazi squids yet manages to weave a compelling story and develop its characters masterfully that make stuff like KyoAni's Kanon seem meh.

And Skyfall, since you have a tendency to pick underrated series loved by the people that watched them (Hantsuki, Irya no Sora, etc etc), you could take the time to watch Fantastic Children (26 eps).

[Skyfall]

Originally Posted by npal

And Skyfall, since you have a tendency to pick underrated series loved by the people that watched them (Hantsuki, Irya no Sora, etc etc), you could take the time to watch Fantastic Children (26 eps).

Way ahead of you - have gotten my hands on it and it is next in my watch list ...starting tomorrow (thanks for the suggestion - i am sure i will like it)... underrated stuff tends to turn out better than most of the popular shows more often than not... or so it seems

[Kaoru Chujo]

The current Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight is a show from the same company (ufotable), with the same lead writer and the same main director (although he has a different title on Manabi Straight). It's a different style of show, with more cuteness and cute comedy, but at least as much human depth, and the angst beginning to expand mid-way. And no squid. So far I like it at least as much as FA. It has a strong emotional effect, at least on me.

As for underrated shows, can I mention Simoun again? Fantastic Children's character design put me off, but it's getting such good recommendations (wao, npal) that I have to give it another chance.

[Skane]

Futakoi Alternative remains my No.01 anime series, and thus far, nothing has come close to toppling it. The foreshadowing in it is so top-notch that it almost borders on the absurd. Not to mention the abundance of metaphors, hidden meanings, subtlety, etc...

Example: Rentarou always view Sara as the fearless headstrong girl, and flashbacked to the bath-house incident, but Soujyu pointed out Sara's trembling hand after the incident, which showed that even Sara has her moments of vulnerability.

Example: Sara dropping of the bowling ball onto Rentarou was an implication that she found out about his kiss with Soujyu.

And much, much more.

As for Fantastic Children, I echo the recommendation. Just be prepared for knives to be plunged into your heart when you are watching it.

To answer the question about the marriage, think about it as an obligation. Kimihiko has been taking care of the two of them for so long, ever since their parents died. Repayment of kindness is a pretty big thing in eastern-culture.

Cheers.

[Skyfall]

Originally Posted by Skane

To answer the question about the marriage, think about it as an obligation. Kimihiko has been taking care of the two of them for so long, ever since their parents died. Repayment of kindness is a pretty big thing in eastern-culture.

Cheers.

Could be the case, but still ... thats going quite far to repay him for simply acting as a guardian for a while. In my opinion, anyway. And for the last two years they had spent most time with Rentarou anyway... bleh. I Guess thats just a matter of different cultures. At any rate - i can't picture myself forcing a girl to marry me simply because she should feel grateful towards me.

Especially considering that he, probably, would have more than enough money to spend the rest of his life in retirement anyway - it is not like his life depended on it. (Oh, the irony - his life was endangered because of the marriage )

On a side note - watching Fantastic Children and loving every minute of it. I am on ep19, and my only gripe is - the end is coming, and i always have a feeling of void inside after finishing something great ...

[herbert]

I think it has something to do with their education. You know, they have been frequently told one of them must marry that man since their babyhood, the idea of the marriage is already deeply rooted in their mind. It is hard for them to reject such a thing they had believed as a must-do for long time even though they know now they can choose against it. Plus they are in a love triangle, one of them, at least in common sense, must give up Rentarou. The girl, who leaves Rentarou and her sister behind, then has no other place other than Kimihiko to turning to. Thus the promised marriage as well can be seen as an escape from the love triangle for them.

[holyman282]

Well just watched Futakoi and i must say i loved it, although there were some points that had me going wtf, but the drama was perfect and it's a great little love story.

hmm skane about that forshadowing, of sara dropping a bowling ball on him, really didn't think it was because she found out about the kiss.

Could you explain why you thought sara found out about the kiss...

I must say I slowly becoming a sucker for the under rated anime too, although the reason i don't watch them is because they are usually pretty short and I usually prefer ones that are 26 ep or longer....

[Skane]

Originally Posted by holyman282

~ hmm skane about that forshadowing, of sara dropping a bowling ball on him, really didn't think it was because she found out about the kiss.

Could you explain why you thought sara found out about the kiss... ~

Not foreshadowing, but implication.

Sara can be abusive at times, but deliberately dropping a bowling ball onto Rentarou is somewhat out of character for her (from the norm), so something must have had happened to make her that way; and the only thing that happened recently that could possibly make her that angry is the kiss.

All other occurrences of Sara-related physical abuse were due to reaction, not premeditated action.

Cheers.

[vince1234]

Originally Posted by Skane

Futakoi Alternative remains my No.01 anime series, and thus far, nothing has come close to toppling it. The foreshadowing in it is so top-notch that it almost borders on the absurd. Not to mention the abundance of metaphors, hidden meanings, subtlety, etc...

Example: Rentarou always view Sara as the fearless headstrong girl, and flashbacked to the bath-house incident, but Soujyu pointed out Sara's trembling hand after the incident, which showed that even Sara has her moments of vulnerability.

Example: Sara dropping of the bowling ball onto Rentarou was an implication that she found out about his kiss with Soujyu.

And much, much more.

Cheers.

Skane, do you mind explaining and pointing out some more hidden meanings?

[outcast_within]

i also love this show. especially after watching super normal futakoi.
This show felt as a breath of fresh air.

i specially like daisy fitzgerald.
the red tea pot
and hamtaro underground

[Risaa]

Fuuu I haven't thought about this series in quite a while.

IMO, Futakoi and Futakoi Alt. really shouldn't even be compared - they're two completely different desserts that just happen to have the same frosting.

I remember having very mixed feelings about Futakoi Alt. after finishing it - I liked it a lot, but on the same token I didn't care for it all that much. The storyline, and especially the action kept me very interested, but there were always these (usually pervy) moments that would just kill the drama for me.... So while I came out of it satisfied, it also left my mind quickly.

[Bonta Kun]

ohh now reading this has brought back some fond memories. I remember talking to a friend while watching it saying "mate, this is just the craziest show I've ever seen"

flying talking squids, crazy ass cops, and from what I recall a kid growing up with some very crazy haircuts

ah the memories, I surpirsingly enjoyed the series

[vince1234]

Originally Posted by Skane

Actually, that's debatable.

Throughout the series, the relationship between Soujyu and Rentarou was implied to be closer than the one between Sara and Rentarou. Ever since the twins met Rentarou, it has been Soujyu who helped to push him on further( optimist), while Sara was the defeatist( pessimist).

The subtlety of the their optimism/pessimism aspects is highlighted in numerous scenes throughout the series.

This is also possibly one of reasons why Sara decided to leave Soujyu with Rentarou; because she felt that the two of them were very close with each other. Closer than her and Rentarou in any case.

So while it can be said that Rentarou loves the both of them, he probably has more fondness for Soujyu.

Cheers.

Hey skane can you also give examples for how Rentaro likes Souju more?

[holyman282]

Originally Posted by vince1234

Hey skane can you also give examples for how Rentaro likes Souju more?

Well for one thing rentaro kissed Souju, while he never kissed sara...