(L) Venus Versus Virus

[Guido]

Originally Posted by kriez

aww~ man, i sense a little personal attack!! just stating that messing with human emotions is the best way to capture an audience, dont you agree? i just wish they could make the anime par up to how good it seems to be~ the bodies are a wee bit rigid..

Come to think of it, I have been pondering if there is something more about Lucia's memories about the time of her mother's death. Maybe the memory is not fully completed, because the tragedy continued and became too traumatic for Lucia that she had to bury the rest of it to keep herself sane and composed.

Spoiler:

Lucia explains in episode three that once a Virus attacks and snatches a soul from someone, that former person becomes a Virus as well. This happened to the girl, Tsukuyo.

With this point I do agree comparison can be drawn in relation to the births of both Hollows in Bleach and Viruses in VVV, who as former human spirits and living people, got their souls eaten by other Hollows and Viruses to be transformed into ones as well.

Now from Lucia's memories we saw her mother was killed by a Virus, though there's few evidence to suggest that the Virus snatched her soul and ate it.

Remember Bleach's Grand Fisher arc, Masaki Kurosaki got killed by GF but nowhere in the anime or the manga as of now has Masaki returned transformed into a Hollow as well.

If we go by this aseveration, then we can assume Lucia's mother was only murdered by the Virus but never became one.

However, if we go to the D.Gray-man route, Lucia's mother right after her human death turned into a Virus. She tried to eat Lucia's soul, but the last vestiges of her humaity overcame her to regain sanity. Then crying for the love of her daughter, she pleaded to the little Lucia to kill her to end her suffering.

Whether relunctantly or by accident, little Lucia killed her as the only way to save her and that became the time when Lucia's cursed eye activated for the first.

Believe me, if the staff chooses to go with this later scenario about Lucia forced to kilL her mother after becoming a Virus, then it would be a powerful, poignant, and empathic scene for the viewers much like when Allen Walker had to reluctantly kill Akuma Mana in D.Gray-man.

[rogueblade]

Joy! Another anime that i enjoy watching!

Although i am getting SERIOUS Karin vibes from the series...

Anyway, on the first two episodes - i have to say, coming from watching an episode of Kannon, this series really doesn't impress visually. However, i do love the art style, and it's not bad in any way, shape or form, just not up the standards of kyoto animation.
I actually thought the first episode was far too gun-ho. Nothing was really explained, a lot of information was just thrown at you while action was going on like crazy on screen, but i think they've slowed it down massively and to a very nice tempo in episode 2. I have to say, i'm pleased with the charcter development thus far - although you can tell the lolita, pocky eating punk is sort of filler, and doesn't really serve a purpose other than comic relief.

I have to say though, despite the cringe-worthy Engrish
("I'm Break out!" - honey, you might be, but you fail your english class), i loooove the opening and ending songs - what are they called?

[Deathkillz]

Originally Posted by rogueblade

Joy! Another anime that i enjoy watching!

Although i am getting SERIOUS Karin vibes from the series...

i loooove the opening and ending songs - what are they called?

well ive seen karin but arent getting those vibes O.o care to explain what vibes? ^__^

OP ~ "Bravin' Bad Brew" by Riryka
Ed ~ "Shijun no Zankoku" by Yousei Teikoku

[Guido]

Originally Posted by rogueblade

Joy! Another anime that i enjoy watching!

Although i am getting SERIOUS Karin vibes from the series...

Anyway, on the first two episodes - i have to say, coming from watching an episode of Kannon, this series really doesn't impress visually. However, i do love the art style, and it's not bad in any way, shape or form, just not up the standards of kyoto animation.
I actually thought the first episode was far too gun-ho. Nothing was really explained, a lot of information was just thrown at you while action was going on like crazy on screen, but i think they've slowed it down massively and to a very nice tempo in episode 2. I have to say, i'm pleased with the charcter development thus far - although you can tell the lolita, pocky eating punk is sort of filler, and doesn't really serve a purpose other than comic relief.

I have to say though, despite the cringe-worthy Engrish
("I'm Break out!" - honey, you might be, but you fail your english class), i loooove the opening and ending songs - what are they called?

Honestly, episode one did a fair job on introducing all of the Venus Vanguard's cast, and I'm not only mean the characters themselves but also to visually show the audience what are their respective personalities.

Episode two presented all of the skills and capabilities that Sumire's Berseker mode can do, plus an overall picture how do the ability to see Viruses changes one life forever as Sumire tasted bitter the experience at first.

For episode three I actually figured out where does the outcome between Yoshiki and Sumire would eventually lead to, given if his character plays a pivotal role in Sumire's life.

Spoiler:

The tragic tale of the twin brother's loss of his sister is serving as a forewarning to alert the viewers on what may happen between Yoshiki and Sumire in a far future.

They are starting to get along, and Sumire is gradually becoming more affectionate towards him. So I assume that something really nasty would come across between the two of them unexpectedly once their relation peaks more than just friendship.

The twins in episode three didn't saw the Virus coming. They just had their moment of playful happiness on one moment, and from that point onwards the plot turned predictable but signs were given to identify the root of the problem.
a) Lucia noticing the dead plants in the girl's home, b) her warning to Sumire not to literally move from the spot where she left her, and c) for Sumire not to keep her eyesight averted from the girl, Tsukuyo.

The point is Sumire may experience the same pain of loss as both the twin brother and Lucia did, if she both unintentionally and unawaredly drags Yoshiki into the fights too. But for that to happen Sumire must be paying frequent visits to Yoshiki, and their feelings for each other begin encountering comeuppances between them as her job at the Venus Vanguard becomes more taxing with the threat of the Viruses on the rise.

[rogueblade]

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

well ive seen karin but arent getting those vibes O.o care to explain what vibes? ^__^

OP ~ "Bravin' Bad Brew" by Riryka
Ed ~ "Shijun no Zankoku" by Yousei Teikoku

Thanks! I'm just fiinding a legal path to buy those now.
Legally. With money.
And lies.

Anyway, about the vibes - partly it's the presentation - the OD for example. It's just so poppy and jumpy that i can't help seeing Karin randomly shoot past in a trail of blood and bikini. The preview bit as well kinda reminds me of that doll in karin, with his irrelevant, light hearted comments and such.
The art as well. Although, i'm pretty new to anime (only having watched Higurashi, Haruhi, Karin, Kannon and this before), so it may be stabdard fare.

Still, it would rock my socks off, if Karin made a cameo.

[Guido]

Originally Posted by rogueblade

Anyway, about the vibes - partly it's the presentation - the OD for example. It's just so poppy and jumpy that i can't help seeing Karin randomly shoot past in a trail of blood and bikini. The preview bit as well kinda reminds me of that doll in karin, with his irrelevant, light hearted comments and such.
The art as well. Although, i'm pretty new to anime (only having watched Higurashi, Haruhi, Karin, Kannon and this before), so it may be stabdard fare.

Still, it would rock my socks off, if Karin made a cameo.

It would rock my whole world, if it is Anju who made the cameo.

[rogueblade]

Originally Posted by Guido

It would rock my whole world, if it is Anju who made the cameo.

No, wait for it....

Winner-kun IS the master/ultra virus thing. Plot twist!

[Guppy]

Originally Posted by Guido

Spoiler:

The tragic tale of the twin brother's loss of his sister is serving as a forewarning to alert the viewers on what may happen between Yoshiki and Sumire in a far future.

They are starting to get along, and Sumire is gradually becoming more affectionate towards him. So I assume that something really nasty would come across between the two of them unexpectedly once their relation peaks more than just friendship.

Spoiler for manga spoilers and speculation:

I agree that something "really nasty" is likely to happen in Yoshiki and Sumire's relationship, but I strongly suspect the only one who'll find it unexpected is Sumire. As of Volume 3 she's well aware of the risks to Yoshiki and is taking great care to shield him... but Yoshiki himself is not a normal person and clearly has something to hide.

Right now, I'm expecting that Sumire will find herself having to fight Yoshiki sometime in the near future - but it won't be as tragic as with Tsukuyo, because whatever Yoshiki is, he's been concealing it from the beginning.

[Deathkillz]

Originally Posted by Guido

It would rock my whole world, if it is Anju who made the cameo.

anju...the loli who singlehandedly pwns all the viruses is something i would just die to see she wont even need to go into killer mode O.o

and for Yoshiki ~

Spoiler:

definatly a shady character to look out for...but its soo predictable that it isnt even funny >.< hes either a "boss" virus or someone who tries to save Sumire but ends up getting killed by her instead ~ wait...thats not predictable at all! O.o

[Guido]

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

anju...the loli who singlehandedly pwns all the viruses is something i would just die to see she wont even need to go into killer mode O.o

I would also suggest Art and Ilyasviel as well.

Pretty ironic that I'm mentioning Ilya since her servant is a Berseker class, and Sumire can switch to an uncontrollable Berseker mode.

Put those two Bersekers at the same place, and we would get an apocalypse of loli proportions.

One Berseker who is just normal, and cute/moe girl who sees Viruses. The other Berseker who is a towering hulk, having a moe but psycho loli as his master.

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

and for Yoshiki ~

Spoiler:

definatly a shady character to look out for...but its soo predictable that it isnt even funny >.< hes either a "boss" virus or someone who tries to save Sumire but ends up getting killed by her instead ~ wait...thats not predictable at all! O.o

and for Lucia's mother and the Virus which killed her.

Spoiler:

If she was turned to a Virus....
1. Either Lucia killed her
2. Or her dad did it.

I did propose that Lucia would eventually come across with the Virus which wasted her mother. Now here it comes the question of whom might end up killing Mr. Virus.
a) Lucia; b) Nahashi, Lucia's dad, out of regret for not coming in time to save his wife; c) Sumire Berserk mode; d) Lola ?

[FlareKnight]

Alright episode 3 subbed.

Spoiler:

Pretty nice episode I thought. The girl turning out to be the virus was surprising. It really was a sad episode with the seperation of the brother and sister. Amazing that even after becomming a virus she was doing everything possible to help her brother. Such a strong bond between them then having to seperate like that.

Nice to see Lucia showing her kindness. Both with the truth since trying to comfort someone who has lost such an important person is pointless. Then giving the pendant away as a present since the sister had been drawn to it.

Just shows that even if you can deal with the virus the damage left behind isn't quite so easy to heal. Also we're getting some interesting devlopments with Sumire and Yoshiki. Wonder if he'll turn into a virus or something to make things inetersting. Well an episode that didn't result in berserker Sumire had to happen eventually. Next week we'll have the first encounter with Lucia and Sumire. Should be a good one.

[Guido]

Well, I have see again episode three, but this time it was the sub.

And I paid attention to some details I missed or overlooked the first time.

Spoiler:

For example, the kanji that can only be seen by people awared of Viruses on the flyers.

Do they extract Viruses cells, then process them to produce an ink invisible to the eyes of the average humans?

Second example is the dagger that Lucia gave to Sumire to replace her lost ring. Lucia's words are true that dagger has embedded hidden powers that become accesible to Sumire once she learns to handle it with skill.
I comment upon this because I'm very CERTAIN is the same dagger I saw Sumire pulling out to confront Lucia in the prologue for episode one.

My theory on how people become Viruses.

Spoiler:

If a Virus works on the same frequency as real-life viruses (the germs) do, then Viruses extract the soul out of its victim crystallizing it. The Virus immediately proceeds to devour the heart of the soul. Afterwards, the Virus replicates the core of the eaten soul and then transfers it back to the empty soul in order to fill it.

The new heart of the soul is actually a fake one made out of the Virus putrid spirit, however, it retains part of the memories and personality that the original heart possessed. Once inside the victim's soul the putrid heart core quickly stains and corrodes the soul, transfiguring the victim into a Virus.

It is important to note that at the point when the soul is extracted the victim has not died yet, but does once it is eaten.

What does the replicated, fake heart core once reinserted into a victim's body is to reanimate that deceased body into a Virus.

Just like real viruses only replicate by invading cells, then transfering their own genetic material into the cell. A new virus develops within a healthy cell within a brief period of gestation. At that time the cell swells up. Once the Virus has fully developed, it bursts out from the cell killing it and ready to invade another neighboring cell.

[myopius]

Good episode (3). Lucia was pretty goofy in the way she crossed her arms as she covered up for herself. The overall plot/theme of the episode is precedented in anime (and the Bleach episode someone mentioned was in fact the closest very close to a match to the entire theme) but it was still enjoyable, especially since they weren't too heavy on the rhetoric.

Yoshiki is a neat presence. I mean, sure he's the typical gentle/kind guy who is approached/admired by magical girl-type female leads (for which Sumire barely qualifies I suppose), but he's unconventional in that he's a literary geek, and is cool in that he levels with her with stuff like book and what she should call him by. People have speculated on him in this thread, and I pray that those speculations are incorrect and he'll just remain a cool character to have around rather than being swept up to an unnecessary extent by the heavier aspects of the series.

Also I definitely like Lola, she is so more cool than the annoyingly overcutesy or the annoyingly self-important lolis, maybe because she's halfway in between in a unique way. All in all the characters are shaping up pretty well I'd say. Looking forward to next episode if it's what it says according to the preview, that'll be nice to see I think. Wish they could draw viruses (virii would also be a correct word) so they didn't just resemble Blue Meanies, however... Yeah, I like the character designs and art generally, think it deserves better animation (I'd probably enjoy the manga better for that reason).

[Kaioshin Sama]

The opening too this series is the best I've heard so far in 2007. No whining, no screeching, no promotion, just singing with good accompaniment. Can't wait for the single.

[kriez]

Originally Posted by Guido

Spoiler:

Lucia explains in episode three that once a Virus attacks and snatches a soul from someone, that former person becomes a Virus as well. This happened to the girl, Tsukuyo.

With this point I do agree comparison can be drawn in relation to the births of both Hollows in Bleach and Viruses in VVV, who as former human spirits and living people, got their souls eaten by other Hollows and Viruses to be transformed into ones as well.

Now from Lucia's memories we saw her mother was killed by a Virus, though there's few evidence to suggest that the Virus snatched her soul and ate it.

Remember Bleach's Grand Fisher arc, Masaki Kurosaki got killed by GF but nowhere in the anime or the manga as of now has Masaki returned transformed into a Hollow as well.

If we go by this aseveration, then we can assume Lucia's mother was only murdered by the Virus but never became one.

However, if we go to the D.Gray-man route, Lucia's mother right after her human death turned into a Virus. She tried to eat Lucia's soul, but the last vestiges of her humaity overcame her to regain sanity. Then crying for the love of her daughter, she pleaded to the little Lucia to kill her to end her suffering.

Whether relunctantly or by accident, little Lucia killed her as the only way to save her and that became the time when Lucia's cursed eye activated for the first.

Believe me, if the staff chooses to go with this later scenario about Lucia forced to kilL her mother after becoming a Virus, then it would be a powerful, poignant, and empathic scene for the viewers much like when Allen Walker had to reluctantly kill Akuma Mana in D.Gray-man.

thanks man.. hope they just steer clear of old plots and develop a good one on their own..~

wanna ask, you guys actually dl the raw one just to watch 1st and dl a 2nd time to watch the subbed? damn, your speed must be good! i always wait for the subbed..~

[Guppy]

Originally Posted by myopius

Yoshiki is a neat presence. I mean, sure he's the typical gentle/kind guy who is approached/admired by magical girl-type female leads (for which Sumire barely qualifies I suppose), but he's unconventional in that he's a literary geek, and is cool in that he levels with her with stuff like book and what she should call him by. People have speculated on him in this thread, and I pray that those speculations are incorrect and he'll just remain a cool character to have around rather than being swept up to an unnecessary extent by the heavier aspects of the series.

Spoiler for manga vol. 2:

Depends on how much they want to deviate from the manga storyline. When Nene finds out about Sumire spending time with Yoshiki in volume 2, she insists on following Sumire there and pulls Yoshiki aside to give him the third degree. She comes back very happy and satisfied that she'd been worrying over nothing - but then Nene walks out of sight and we see she was temporarily brainwashed, and now can't remember what she was doing there at all.

[Mgz]

Originally Posted by Kipp

Spoiler for episode 3:

Also, she's absolutely adorable when she blushes.

qft

Originally Posted by Kaioshin_Sama

I'm going to be honest, I've actually had you on my ignore list for a while because the Aya Hirano picture creeps me out, so I didn't notice this response.

this is the strangest reason that someone has been in the ignore list, but understandable :P

[myopius]

Originally Posted by Guppy

(spoiler, can't quote it directly or I'll see the text)

Thanks, I'd love to watch the series without knowledge of the manga though. By the way,

Spoiler for Just to hide this from likeminded people who may be better off not noticing these nuances as I do:

quoting a reference in the manga when I mention that I hope a plot point remains uneventful is an action which implies to me the nature of what will be inside of the spoiler, which is in itself a bit of spoiler (but whether I'm incorrect or correct on that don't say--I just mentioned it since it may be useful for you to be aware that in such a situation as you've presented by offering me that spoiler, it becomes highly probable that the kind of event I fear will happen does happen, and that sense of expectancy, correct or incorrect, is the only issue x.x).

[kriez]

haha..paradoxical..~

[Ace Paladin]

Originally Posted by darkchibi07

"Yuri version" of Bleach?!! SOLD!!!

QFE in that it sounds like Bleach. I'm not really into Yuri.. but I'll give this a shot as long as yuri doesn't dominate the storyline.