Valvrave the Liberator - General Anime Discussion

[LightDragonman]

So, from a recent Q&A at Sunrise's recent panel, one asked why the show felt rushed towards the end. Here's what they said:

"From the first moment, we planned to make 2 halves... the first season was meant to be an introduction, and the second season was meant to be the problems in the world."

Too bad no one asked if they had plans to continue the series.

[Key Board]

sounds like they didn't understand the question or they are deflecting the issue

[hamazura]

Originally Posted by LightDragonman

So, from a recent Q&A at Sunrise's recent panel, one asked why the show felt rushed towards the end. Here's what they said:

"From the first moment, we planned to make 2 halves... the first season was meant to be an introduction, and the second season was meant to be the problems in the world."

Too bad no one asked if they had plans to continue the series.

shoko brain problem > world problem

[DevilHighDxD]

Originally Posted by LightDragonman

So, from a recent Q&A at Sunrise's recent panel, one asked why the show felt rushed towards the end. Here's what they said:

"From the first moment, we planned to make 2 halves... the first season was meant to be an introduction, and the second season was meant to be the problems in the world."

Too bad no one asked if they had plans to continue the series.

12 episodes to be used as a introduction?! Lmfao you only do that when the frickin anime is longer than 24.... God, I can't believe nobody called out on Okouchi for his shitty treatment on Saki.

[KleenexGhost]

Originally Posted by DevilHighDxD

12 episodes to be used as a introduction?! Lmfao you only do that when the frickin anime is longer than 24.... God, I can't believe nobody called out on Okouchi for his shitty treatment on Saki.

She was essentially turned into Zessica Mk II. Be the Veronica. Fall for the hero. Then she was essentially placed into a role where she just longed for his affection. Except she suffered harder than Zessica.

Both Shoko and her got the short end of the stick from the writers.

Other topic: How is Captain Earth coming along?

[DevilHighDxD]

Originally Posted by KleenexGhost

Other topic: How is Captain Earth coming along?

Daichi as a MC is competent but just the story is a bit mediocre, but the animation quality is always consistently top notch. You will like the protagonist and the heroines. Also no major love drama BS.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by KleenexGhost

She was essentially turned into Zessica Mk II. Be the Veronica. Fall for the hero. Then she was essentially placed into a role where she just longed for his affection. Except she suffered harder than Zessica.

Both Shoko and her got the short end of the stick from the writers.

Other topic: How is Captain Earth coming along?

Yeah, pretty much this. I guess you could also say Saki was meant to fill out the Valvrave team along with Akira so it wasn't all male pilots though you could argue whether the girls got as much action as the boys. But

Spoiler:

at least Zessica got to actually confess her feelings, and a proper rejection(not that it helped), which is more than Shoko and Saki ever got .

I've actually really enjoyed Captain Earth, even if there are certain points about the show that I think could definitely be improved on though I don't think they've bothered me as much as they have other people. As far as Mecha shows go, I think it's pretty good and a tad more "normal" Mecha series compared to Valvrave which I think works for it .

[KleenexGhost]

Originally Posted by DevilHighDxD

Daichi as a MC is competent but just the story is a bit mediocre, but the animation quality is always consistently top notch. You will like the protagonist and the heroines. Also no major love drama BS.

Good, because I've been tired of love-triangles, rectangles, polyhedrons for a while now.

Originally Posted by Frontier

Yeah, pretty much this. I guess you could also say Saki was meant to fill out the Valvrave team along with Akira so it wasn't all male pilots though you could argue whether the girls got as much action as the boys. But

Spoiler:

at least Zessica got to actually confess her feelings, and a proper rejection(not that it helped), which is more than Shoko and Saki ever got .

I've actually really enjoyed Captain Earth, even if there are certain points about the show that I think could definitely be improved on though I don't think they've bothered me as much as they have other people. As far as Mecha shows go, I think it's pretty good and a tad more "normal" Mecha series compared to Valvrave which I think works for it .

I would also say Saki and Akira did better than the guys seeing that they're the only surviving members of the original team.

Spoiler:

That was one of things with Valvrave's finale that bugged me. It wasn't that they didn't bother resolving the Haruto and Shoko thing. It was how half-assed the resolution they gave us felt. I joked around about the silver-lining being that Haruto lost his memories so he won't even remember her, but in all seriousness what they gave us felt sloppy. Same with Saki, at least have Haruto reject her and get it over with rather than have Saki pretty act like a neglected puppy and pine for Haruto's attention and affection along with her suffering.

I see things about Captain Earth that make me wanna go back to it. I like the character and mecha designs. I found some of the characters to be fun, especially Akari. It just kinda felt slow, plus I had a backlog of other shows. I dropped off after episode 5. A friend of mine did say that Lin would make me wanna come back to it.

[LightDragonman]

I seriously can't help but pull my hair out every time I think of Saki's abandonment and subsequent capture and torture in part 2. It was a humongous waste of potential in terms of story and character arc.

For Saki, if they really wanted to go full on with showing how serious the bad guys were, they could have made her torture be much more brutal. Have her go through a whole V For Vendetta-esque torture sequence. Heck, maybe even show them performing live dissections and experimentations on her. Really hammer home how sick Dorssia and the Council truly are.

However, also show that, unlike say Shouko, who completely turned on Haruto once he went into conflict with her, she remains firm and doesn't give up her faith in him to rescue her. Not only would we see how brutal the enemy is, but it would also show how resilient Saki is, and that the VVV pilots aren't just immature teenagers, but are strong individuals who won't back down and have absolute faith in each other.

For Haruto, they wasted an even bigger opportunity. He was the only one who gave a rip about Saki upon returning to JIOR after all. It would have made for some really great development for his character if they kept going with that story idea. While everyone else was having fun upon returning, he could be wracked with worry over his fellow pilot being in enemy territory. Maybe have him go to L'Elf asking for him to plan the next move to free Saki, which would obviously be in vain considering the latter's mental state, having lost Liselotte despite his planning. He could find it much harder to talk to and relate to Shouko because of all the time he has spent away from her, making him realize that he truly can't go back to the life he once had.

Once the torture scene is broadcast, Haruto could finally decide to just drop everything and race to save Saki. Heck, her execution could give him flashbacks to the whole rape-incident, with him feeling especially guilty about her being outed as a "monster" when he feels more deserving of that title. Have Shouko obviously be upset about all this, but have Haruto stay firm in his conviction to save Saki.

Heck, this could act as an inversion of L'Elf's failed attempt to save Liselotte. The latter tried to save her with constant plans and the like, but he failed due to his reliance on said plans and exact circumstances, making the slightest bump or mishap bring down the whole thing, as shown by Lise's sacrifice. Haruto on the other hand, in his attempt to save Saki, simply relies on his gut instinct and heart to get to her and bring her back. As a result, his actions are far less predictable and have less ways for things to go wrong.

Due to this, Haruto would ultimately be successful due to his attempt being done on whim instead of perfect planning. He would at first be devastated upon seeing what all Saki had gone through when he reaches her (she's completely beaten physically, maybe even sexually assaulted, there are scars all over her body, heck, her hair has even been shaved off), but unlike Shouko, Saki doesn't hold any anger towards him, as her faith that he would rescue her had been fulfilled. It would be then that he realized that she, not Shouko, is the one that he can truly relate to and trust. Cue repeat of marriage proposal, with Saki accepting this time (and maybe even leading to her being healed, including her long hair coming back).

This could have made her other developments besides those two as well. Have the other pilots ultimately decide to help Haruto in his rescue attempt, as they two can't bear to see a fellow pilot suffer. Really hammer home the camaraderie that these pilots share together. Heck, the whole VVV transformation into Magius thing could be used as symbolic of having to mature beyond being a simple child. This could be reflected by them all being more empathetic towards each other, and not be so focused on simple festivities. It would make for a contrast between who they were before they became pilots, and between the other JIOR inhabitants like Shouko and the like. Them saving Saki represents one of the pinnacles of their growth.

For others, it could act as a sort of wake-up call. A'Drei would finally be forced to realize what his nation is capable of, leading to him questioning his loyalty beyond just "Eru-Erufu". He could be the one to help Haruto save Saki, and even choose to join him upon the operation's success. L'Elf, upon seeing how and why Haruto succeeded when he failed, would at first be confused and even resentful, only to finally realize what he lacked before, and would cause him to place more faith in Haruto, making their friendship stronger.

Really, I just feel that they could have done so much more with what they had with Saki's capture. Instead, they chose the easy and predictable route.

[Key Board]

I think they've done more than necessary to show that Saki is resilient
so I'd say it's enough
there's a limit to how much shit you can have a character go through before it becomes comical

but yes, I think we all have our own ideas on how the 2nd half should have played off

one of my ideas was for Saki to pull a Macross and sing her heart out, attempting to the world, that no, I'm not a monster
of course this not being Macross means it would be less effective, but it would still be the kind of thing I expect Saki would do

[DevilHighDxD]

There will be news on how two cars crushed into Sunrise Studio and another one where Okouchi lived if they shit on Saki like that...

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by KleenexGhost

Good, because I've been tired of love-triangles, rectangles, polyhedrons for a while now.

I'm less tired of seeing them in anime, and more tired of them not being handled well or just getting ignored, though I guess that's partially subjective to the viewer

I would also say Saki and Akira did better than the guys seeing that they're the only surviving members of the original team.

Well, that's certainly one way of looking at it .

Spoiler:

That was one of things with Valvrave's finale that bugged me. It wasn't that they didn't bother resolving the Haruto and Shoko thing. It was how half-assed the resolution they gave us felt. I joked around about the silver-lining being that Haruto lost his memories so he won't even remember her, but in all seriousness what they gave us felt sloppy. Same with Saki, at least have Haruto reject her and get it over with rather than have Saki pretty act like a neglected puppy and pine for Haruto's attention and affection along with her suffering.

Spoiler:

I seem to recall there was a better resolution for Haruto and Shoko in the novel adaption at least, but yeah, in general the closest to a resolution either pairing got was Haruto mulling over how keeping secrets had come between him and Shoko and Saki thinking on how their promise could help her get closer to him. Which isn't much as far as resolution go. At least we got to see Shoko's reaction to Haruto's death in the finale, while Saki's was relegated to her manga spinoff .

I see things about Captain Earth that make me wanna go back to it. I like the character and mecha designs. I found some of the characters to be fun, especially Akari. It just kinda felt slow, plus I had a backlog of other shows. I dropped off after episode 5. A friend of mine did say that Lin would make me wanna come back to it.

I'd say watch up to episode 7 at least, which pretty much gets the ball rolling to a certain extent and features some great Mecha action while also setting up the next arc of the series, to decide whether you want to watch the rest. Though Lin's episode is pretty great too .

[Key Board]

I'm pretty sure how things left hanging with Shoko was intentional
it was necessary for her to feel the unresolved and without closure
I don't think she would become a pilot without that
I think you need a certain amount of discontent to stop being human

additionally, Okouchi ended things on a similar note with Code Geass
Lelouch's relationship with Suzaku was more important, so they resolved that
but Lelouch's relationship with the Black Knights didn't have a proper closure

It's the same here in VVV. Haruto's relationship with L-Elf was the driving force of the show
So they ended things with Haruto being L-Elf's friend
Everything else? not as important

Side stories and spinoffs can have their own interpretation, (example: Saki in the manga really does feel like a different person from Saki in the anime)
but in the end I think that's Okouchi has his own vision (hint he likes Byronic heroes and tragedy)
whether we like it or not :/

On another note,
Captain Earth lacks excitement and the pacing has suffered
It shows when even some of the villains prefer to fool around in their everyday lives rather than further the plot
Because it's just that boring apparently

This is sad, because it used to be my favorite mech show of the season
now it's just eh. not terrible, but.. too lethargic..
It's not the spiritual successor to Star Driver I hoped it to be

That being said, CE is ending and things tend to get more exciting when a show is ending

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Key Board

On another note,
Captain Earth lacks excitement and the pacing has suffered
It shows when even some of the villains prefer to fool around in their everyday lives rather than further the plot
Because it's just that boring apparently

This is sad, because it used to be my favorite mech show of the season
now it's just eh. not terrible, but.. too lethargic..
It's not the spiritual successor to Star Driver I hoped it to be

That being said, CE is ending and things tend to get more exciting when a show is ending

I actually find Captain Earth pretty exciting, at least when it comes to the parts that are supposed to be exciting: the Mecha fights. I guess the pacing isn't as fast as people would like, but I've enjoyed each episode all the same .

While I did enjoy Star Driver, I'm also happy that Captain Earth is more its own thing than a spiritual successor, even if there are certain elements from Star Driver that I wasn't fond of that popped up .

[Redhazard]

Originally Posted by Key Board

I'm pretty sure how things left hanging with Shoko was intentional
it was necessary for her to feel the unresolved and without closure
I don't think she would become a pilot without that
I think you need a certain amount of discontent to stop being human

I'd say they just ran out of episodes. Valvrave always felt like something that was intended to be longer but didn't get the popularity necessary to be. Really, how many anime have an opening done by T.M. Revolution AND Nana Mizuki?

On another note,
Captain Earth lacks excitement and the pacing has suffered
It shows when even some of the villains prefer to fool around in their everyday lives rather than further the plot
Because it's just that boring apparently

This is sad, because it used to be my favorite mech show of the season
now it's just eh. not terrible, but.. too lethargic..
It's not the spiritual successor to Star Driver I hoped it to be

That being said, CE is ending and things tend to get more exciting when a show is ending

Agreed. I could never really get into it.

[LightDragonman]

Oh how I would love it if they meant in terms of two halves that the first two seasons combined is the first half.

I'm just sad that Sunrise seems to be abandoning this series, considering it still has a lot of untapped stories and potential. That, and Saki Rukino deserves more screen time (and I'm still not sure why fans like to pair her with A'Drei).

[DorkingtonPugsly]

All of that and the fact that the series has pretty much no merch. Even while airing the first season I guess they'd already made a decision not to invest in the series.

*Perpetually pissed off about no akira daki...*

[Redhazard]

Originally Posted by LightDragonman

Oh how I would love it if they meant in terms of two halves that the first two seasons combined is the first half.

I'm just sad that Sunrise seems to be abandoning this series, considering it still has a lot of untapped stories and potential. That, and Saki Rukino deserves more screen time (and I'm still not sure why fans like to pair her with A'Drei).

She's a girl. He's a guy. They talk at least once. Shipping can happen with less.

That said, yeah, she totally needed more screen time. You can say that about a lot of people in season 2, TBH.

Really, the five pilots never got to kick ass together. That's a crime.

[Miraluka]

So what did the staff say about the overall result of the Second Season?

I'm curious to know their reaction the the wide rejection towards the mess of a second season.

[Key Board]

Okouchi wants to do it, if given a chance

I want it to see it too. Though it's better if Okouchi isn't given too much free reign next time, because the guy can be a nutter. And it's also preferable if the staff were given enough time to plan things. Because there were clearly more than a few hiccups at the end.