(L) Red Garden

[Impz]

Originally Posted by Guido

To Mr. Impz, I thank you once again for your synopsis to episode nineteen.

You see I cannot watch a Red Garden episode until either you blog a full review for it once it is available to understand the RAW or a fansub is released for that episode.

Spoiler:

And the blood festival continues.

It was to be expected that inspector Neil (the young partner to the old inspector) rang his death bell, as soon as he was approaching Lise. The difference I felt in contrast to his late partner's death lied that there were no signs to warn of his death.
On one frame he looks cautious and astonished, and on the next... BANG! shot on the forehead and plummets like a dead fly. His shooting came as if a cold breeze swept all over my stomach.

And let's not forget that animal look on Lise with the left side of her jawbone covered in blood; spooky.

The title of the episode says it all. Feelings that the girls desperately want to deliver or swat away to their loved ones, because as I am seeing how the story takes such fatalistic turns then there's not an open possibility for a bliss coming to them all at the conclusion.

Spoiler:

I feel really bad for Luke and Rachel. It was evident that Luke admitted he got carried away and wanted to fix things back how they were with Rachel.

Rachel wanted the same, but she was conscious about her reality check and had to turn him down. While this as far the most painful and critical decision Rachel made, they'll be no more regrets springing later and thus keeping the pain from lingering within her.

I know the choice devastated her, because the contrary would have meant to live the remainder of her memories with the fear and concern that whatever budding attachment and love for Ryuk would inevitably be swiped off from the confines of her mind, and such a thought would have tormented for the rest.

I also feel very warmth and empathetic for Paula, because she was helpless on not telling the truth about Kate that she knew everything that went through from the start of this insane voyage.
Her holding Kates' hands, caressing her face, and for finally to cry on Kate's shoulder was an inspiring and emotive scene that warmed up as the song neared its climaxed.

Spoiler for Lise:

What I understood is that the grandfather and Dr. Bender scrapped her as a failed experiment and instead moved on with plan 'B', that is to afford the timing and luck to kidnap any other of the four girls to use her body for their reproduction program. Remember that in episode 11 Lula warned Kate and the others that they were targeted for their bodies by Hervé's clan for their reproduction program.

Unfortunately for Kate, she happened to be conveniently outdoors at the open and exposed at the bad timing while the group of men approached her from behind as she was dialing Hervé.

Exactly, why the clan deemed Lise a failure and chose to try their luck with Kate?

And will Hervé go to save Kate in spite that she is his enemy?

Both sides will be gathering their forces to prepare for the last showdown, which will determine who gets to keep both books.

Oh, i didn't know :P Heh, well, I actually lagged behind quite badly due to work but I recently caught up with Episode 20 and 21 and I must say that it's really hell impressive.

I have also done up the Episode 20 + 21 summary + thoughts.

It's a tad long due to two detailed summaries, and with my extensive thoughts. I apologize in advance :P

[Impz]

~deleted...accidentally clicked twice~

[Guido]

Originally Posted by Impz

Oh, i didn't know :P Heh, well, I actually lagged behind quite badly due to work but I recently caught up with Episode 20 and 21 and I must say that it's really hell impressive.

I have also done up the Episode 20 + 21 summary + thoughts.

It's a tad long due to two detailed summaries, and with my extensive thoughts. I apologize in advance :P

Good timing since right now I have recently watched episode 20. I'm afraid I'll have to wait until watching episode 21st, because it is too soon for me to move on with the next episode.

Thanks again, Mr. Impz

More madness, more betrayal, more witnessing of precious people getting killed, more blood splattered, and more beastiality.

It is as you commented at your blog, Mr. Impz, that the aftermath to episode 20 became the setup for the advent of the war.

It is funny when you mentioned that Hervé smiled to Anna in her weakened state. Maybe I overlooked that shot.

I conclude that Hervé can now hold hope that by retrieving the second book from the Animus, then maybe and just maybe he'll be able to find the cure. Of course, I am in no way condoning his actions to wage all-out war against his enemies where I'm afraid the whole city of New York would get dragged into the inferno.

Hervé is doing what any loving brother would for his family to ensure Anna's survival even if means at the cost of killing and sacrificing lives, even his own.

Hervé has lost so much, and with Emilio now gone that served as the last straw for him to settle the score against his grandfather.

Spoiler for Mary:

My first opinion about Mary is Shinku!! Well, that's what got into my mind viewing her doll-like body seated on the chair along with other Animi women.

I speculate that Mary and the others are the 1st-generation of Animus, and I suspect that if the curse of the Animus keeps on for centuries, then the bodies of Kate and the other girls will stop moving eventually and all will end up living the existence of a lifeless doll unable to move for themselves to grasp the outside world.
Therefore, it is understandable and reasonable if we see the world from Mary's cursed condition, why she and her brethren long so badly to die. Quite a contrast for Kate and the others to live their lives until the end of their memories.

Spoiler for Lise's transformation:

Lise transformed into a Doral state?

Now that you mentioned it when Dr. Bender and his staff were about to perform on Kate, they first made preparations to do a blood transfusion, but Emilio came in time to prevent the operation from starting.

I think they did the same to Lise, transfusing the blood of the Doral on her. And the end outcome resulted on her crawling and walking in all fours with white eyes except that she did not became violent and neither went to target anyone; Bender dug his own grave when he foolishly tried to stop her.

BTW, the name of Hervé's grandfather is it Lauro or Laurel?

[duckroll]

Heads up, Red Garden has ended it's TV run at ep22 - with a proper ending. But the story is far from over. An OVA sequel called Dead Girls starts in August, and it's set in the -future-. Still Manhattan though.

[MrProphet]

Yup. Though, the charadesigns for the 4 girls look a bit different.

[Matrim]

Only 22 episodes in all? Ah, well, as long as there is a proper ending, an OVA is more than welcome.

[BiZz]

I thought it was the 26th episode, the last episode...
I hope this ending is good because 22 episodes are too short for this great Anime

So, do we know what the four girls become in the last episode ?
Do they lost their memories ?

Kate and paula, still together as lovers ?

[mintyfresh]

Originally Posted by MrProphet

Yup. Though, the charadesigns for the 4 girls look a bit different.

Good heavens, they..

...look terrible.

[Impz]

no clue, on the red garden blog, it simply said that it is going on 22 episodes, without any news at all -_-...

[Guido]

Originally Posted by duckroll

Heads up, Red Garden has ended it's TV run at ep22 - with a proper ending. But the story is far from over. An OVA sequel called Dead Girls starts in August, and it's set in the -future-. Still Manhattan though.

Wait a minute does that means that Red Garden TV series is actually over, and did if finished yesterday?

I thought they were going to be 24 episodes in total!

I have only seen up to episode 20 and in waiting to watch episode 21!

[Matrim]

I am kind of disappointed that Herve's grandfather died so easily, his bodyguards are a bunch of incompetent morons, it has to be said. About time we learned the true extent of the Animus curse. Now I see that it's possible to have a proper ending in two more episodes, the next one seems to be a setup before the final showdown. I wonder if we will have a true winner, if there is one it has to be Animus, I guess. Since there will be OVA I don't see Animus will lose.
The jumps from and to that high window were very cool. Lise seems to be a magnet for blood, will she get back to normal a bit later, only to get into beast state once she touches blood? Bender got what he deserved but Emilio behaved too much like a sacrificial lamb, it almost looked like he wanted to die simply for dumping Emma. Well, she is the best looking girl in the show, IMO, but not really deserving to die for her.

[Hunter Nin.]

Watched eps 1 and 2 so far and the girls reeeeallly annoy me... Had to resort to watching with headphones because the four girls who were being attacked were screaming and making... dubious... noises for about 5 minutes straight! Not to mention I couldn't stop laughing when the girl started singing in the middle of the episode, it was so random and out of place.

Just wondering if I should watch the rest or stop now because although I really like the idea behind the show and am definitely intrigued about what is going on the anime itself doesn't seem very good from watching the first 2 eps. Can anyone who has watched comment? Thanks.

[Matrim]

Well, there is almost no singing after the first few episodes. But the voiceacting remains basically the same, if you don't like it, I don't think you will suddenly start to like it.

[Hunter Nin.]

Hi thanks for the reply, it's not really the voice acting as such but mainly the short section of the episode where there was constant high pitched screaming and moaning coming out of my speakers which made me feel weird about watching it. It seemed a bit excessive to me, it basically showed a woman gyrating with some kind of zombie on her back going "noooo!" but maybe it is something the japanese are into . I'm not sure if it was the intent to make it seem so wierd though, I will probably watch some more eps of it between other series to see if it grows on me.

And good thing about the singing in my opinion . Cheers.

[Matrim]

Episode 2 is the one with the most screaming, it is not really a horror series with heroines who get absolutely hysterical and have to be saved by someone in every episode. That said there are some rather dramatic outbursts from time to time with screaming, crying, etc. But then again I loved that episode, so I might not be the best advisor because of being too biased.

Shinsen has released episode 21, the wait for it to download to end is killing me but it's great that they made up for the dealy with a double release.
EDIT: I watched the episode. But I really shouldn't have watched the preview for the next one, there is a big spoiler in it.
Well, it was basically what I expected, the bittersweet final hours before the last confrontation. I wish the action took place not on Christmas Eve, this made all look somewhat cheesy. It seems too obvious that Lise will make it in time to get into the fight, maybe she will make them stop somehow? One weird ending would be Lise using her Animus body and Delor type of beast transformation to kill them all for inflicting so much pain on her but I gues with the OVA planned that is impossible.

[Guido]

My friends I am just one episode away to witness for myself what fate awaits to Claire, Rose, Kate, and Rachel, and who would be the victor left standing to claim both cursed books.

Episode 21 was indeed beautiful and served as the interlude before the coming of the great storm.

Basically, the girls were on such a relaxing mood and enjoying Christmas Eve, as if nothing about the crazy mess that each one of them went through never ever happened.

Spoiler:

Almost everyone made the ending that they deserved.

But for Rachel, I truly felt sad for her. There was still some past feelings lingering within her, but she did not want to expose a weakness before her former friends and Luke.

In my opinion, she left very dignified and took her resignation about things no longer working between her and Luke calmly and easy going. Though I knew she was about to shatter when Samuel almost tried to confess to her.

Rachel left with few exchanges, but she was receptive about Samuels' feelings. She just did not want to reciprocate them in fear of feeling love and needed now that she acknowledged and accepted on fair terms the eventual loss of her memories.

Rose and Claire were the ones who made the happiest of their endings for the night.
For Claire, the signs tell it that she was no coming back. But it was a nice gesture that she and her boss got to thank each other for their company and work. Ewan is not the type of putting his feelings onto words, so Claire knew very well what he was trying to mean and kissed him. As well as Claire finally mend the strain and made peaces with her father.

For Rose I cannot help to stop cheering and feeling happy for her. After a long time, all of her family came together for Christmas. It was a nice conclusion to her when her dad came bringing Christmas presents; it was a Christmas miracle, since Paul and Carrie would get that their faher is Santa Claus, who brought them the most beautiful gift and that is his company.

The more Paula and Kate are pictured together, the more I feel down for those two. Paula is more like the obedient wife who would patiently wait for what time it takes for Kate to return back, and since Kate's time is running out before she loses her memory, Paula would make each day as meaningful and special for both of them.

Hervé is a tragic figure. Even when preparations for the war are almost done, he holds on hope and enthusiastic optimism to cheer Ana while the latter is seen struggling for her life, as a sign that her awakening as a Doral is coming to a close.

Let's see how everyone fares their fates for the last episode, and I better hurry up since from this week until the next one all the shows that started the autumn season are about to finish, and I do not want to get caught in a rush to watch them all at once in order to write up comments on the same day.

[Matrim]

Shinsen is on a roll so there was almost no wait for the final episode for me but man, did this series needed at least one more episode to wrap thing up properly or what?
Herve was way too strong for my taste, in episode 16 the headmistress was going to kick his ass and now all the four girls plus Lula could just wound him enough to make him fall right before his goal. And his speeches were so hypocritical that I lost any sympathy for him - why did he insult the girls for being dead when he was one fo those who killed in the first place (why did the Delors do that anyway? How could they have known that Animus will come to create new bodies for the dead girls?) And all that talk about the girls being just "things" not human, reminded me very much of Rozen Maiden and the junk remarks. I guess it's no coincidence, since the director of the two series is the same.
Not enough was shown from Lucy and the Headmistress' fighting and I wanted at least a glimpse of what the effects of the memory loss would be, not wait five months for the OVA... Oh, well, maybe I expected too much from the ending but in the end I would still rate Red Garden very highly.

[soul_less]

Originally Posted by Matrim

Herve was way too strong for my taste, in episode 16 the headmistress was going to kick his ass and now all the four girls plus Lula could just wound him enough to make him fall right before his goal. And his speeches were so hypocritical that I lost any sympathy for him - why did he insult the girls for being dead when he was one fo those who killed in the first place (why did the Delors do that anyway? How could they have known that Animus will come to create new bodies for the dead girls?)

How Herve did what he did..can be summed up in a few words....He's Crazy

lol...his loon a$$ is super charge which gave him the strength to go all out.....and they knew about what Animus where..(the reason they took Lise )

also his insult suggested that he knew anna was FUBARed
but didn't want to give into the facts...so he was taken out his frustration on da ladies.

....Oh Yah just a reminder He is Insane by now....

*Edit*
separate thought....it would be crazy sweet to be one of those chicks...lvling 4ever in a hot body would pwn. on the other hand i could see in a few centuries or so life getting boring...and would lead to suicide/insanity(either you become a hermit or a mass murderer)....
although here is a random thought....THey don't remember anything so...that means they don't know they are going to live 4ever...I hope on of them had the foresight to write this stuff down off the air!.

and what do you think the ova will be about?? a reunion show ?? are a new problem? or a prequel?

[Matrim]

I know Herve was more or less mad by that point but that alone can hardly explain his power, after all the average beast men/women are quite crazy too, yet our heroines disposed of them with relative ease, episode after episode. And the trash talk looked like a waste of time, shoudln't he just move as quickly as possible to the inside of the school to find the second Tome? Anna was on the verge of turning into a beast.

[TEKO425]

Spoiler:

Poor Lise! She turned into dust because she had Delor blood in her Animus body. 4 girls wake up holding hands and will never remember Lise was once alive. Lise was the most innocent in the whole series. Too bad she had to have Herve as her boyfriend. In the end, 4 girls didn't piece together that Herve was the boyfriend of Lise who had them all killed.