|
View Poll Results: sola - Episode 13 Rating | |||
Perfect 10 | 44 | 33.85% | |
9 out of 10 : Excellent | 47 | 36.15% | |
8 out of 10 : Very Good | 16 | 12.31% | |
7 out of 10 : Good | 16 | 12.31% | |
6 out of 10 : Average | 3 | 2.31% | |
5 out of 10 : Below Average | 2 | 1.54% | |
4 out of 10 : Poor | 0 | 0% | |
3 out of 10 : Bad | 0 | 0% | |
2 out of 10 : Very Bad | 2 | 1.54% | |
1 out of 10 : Painful | 0 | 0% | |
Voters: 130. You may not vote on this poll |
|
Thread Tools |
2007-07-01, 23:58 | Link #61 |
Sola FTW
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Singapore
Age: 31
|
well.. watch it and the ending was great.. Sae still obessed with Takeshi
The Mood changes when takeshi say mayuko taste worsen in the end there was 2 tomato juice.. i think it belong to matsuri or matsuri with yorito since there no other who dare to drink that tomato juice.. hope that the DVD contain matsuri and yorito |
2007-07-02, 00:05 | Link #63 | |
Bemused Scholar
Join Date: Jan 2007
Age: 36
|
OK, my thoughts on the episode...
Spoiler for Episode 13, duh:
On the whole, this conclusion is fairly good and enjoyable if I view it in a casual manner, but if I try to scrutinize just what happened, there are a few too many flaws and unexplained points to make me really like it all that much. Most noteworthy was my last point; I feel like this ending, as satisfying as it could be, just felt hollow and all too convenient, if the reason behind that character change goes unexplained. Anyone have any decent explanation for it? Because such an unexplained change is going to really hurt my opinion of the character development in this show. And no, "character development" caused by having one's mind wiped doesn't count as proper character development for me, if that's actually the case. And speaking of memory wipes, I still can't get over the memory wiping that occurred in episode 11. Did the Yakas have this power all along? If so, there were many instances where it should have been used then. For example, why didn't Matsuri wipe Takeshi's memory so that he would forget she exists, and stop trying to kill her? Or does the memory wipe thing only prevent people from remembering origami Yorito, since he's an artificial creation of Aono's? If that's the case, then shouldn't Mana still have remembered Matsuri? Yet she clearly seems to have forgotten all about the existance of Yakas afterwards, seeing as she doesn't remember Aono or Matsuri in episode 13. And could Aono have just made Matsuri forget about origami Yorito? If the Yakas had such tremendous power all along, then there's quite a bit of explaining to do... Quote:
Overall, the series was worth my time to watch, and had some enjoyable moments (like episode 9). What I said to the ending could apply to the whole series, I think: It's good when viewed casually, but when scrutinized it just falls apart too fast. |
|
2007-07-02, 02:34 | Link #64 | |
Did someone call a doctor
Join Date: Apr 2007
Age: 41
|
It was decent. After watching it though I needed to look at the series as a whole again, but from Aono's perspective, and that the story was more about her getting over her past and moving forward with her life rather then being stuck in denial and constantly mourning for her brother. I think looking at the story that way helped it make a little more sense to me. Yorito and Matsuri both were there as support to help her get over the past. But dead or not, both Yorito and Matsuri live on still through Mana and Aono with their actions. Which I think is pretty touching. It is kind of an abstract way to look at the series, considering the start, but I think it works for me anyway.
Quote:
__________________
|
|
2007-07-02, 04:58 | Link #65 |
wingéd prettygirl
Author
|
A solidly enjoyable finale. Not, as I discussed with a friend, a 'fantastic' episode, but a very enjoyable one nonetheless.
Moments of especial enjoyment include Yorito's death, which was incredibly poignant, and Matsuri's fading, as well as the conversion of Mana into Yorito II, and the scene with Aono and Koyori creating origami. Bonus points for Mayuko's top hat. I would have liked, I suppose, to see Yorito say something to Matsuri as he died. That would have made me even more emotional, I think - and thinking back, knowing that his last words in her direction was to say, without bitterness, that he knows she is lying, is quite powerful... but I would have liked an obvious affirmation. Final 'fight' seemed a bit rushed, but was likeable. The final scenes were also well done, but I actually quite disliked the idea that the juice cans were left on the table. It feels needlessly teasing. To those who say it's from the last time that Yorito and Matsuri are there, well... that's what, three months ago anime time? And also, Matsuri had only one drink there. I can't see rubbish staying in a public place for that long without someone, whether official or not, picking it up. Also... weren't Koyori and Aono just there the other morning? I think it's basically NOMAD deciding to 'throw a bone', but doing so in a way that felt artificial. Note, Koyori and Aono both start as if shocked, and stare up at the arbor - and there are two cans, sitting next to each other. Why did they start? Did they hear something? It can't have been seen, both were looking in different directions, and both reacted at once . DVD episodes, I feel, will sadly not shed any light on Matsuri and Yorito. Hopefully there'll be something, just a tad. Oh well - I was more or less right that Yorito and Matsuri would die, and that Matsuri would sacrifice herself for Aono. I didn't see Yorito dying before Aono though... still, the ending was enjoyable, and a fitting close for the series, quibbles aside. 8/10. -Andiyar
__________________
|
2007-07-02, 07:37 | Link #66 | |
Somehow I found out
Join Date: Feb 2006
Age: 40
|
I don't have any major criticisms of this final episodes (well, none that Mirrinus hasn't already brought up) other than the jarring slow down in pace (although as others have pointed out, Sola is at its best when it slows down), but the damage was done in the previous episodes, when this series couldn't create for itself a cast of sympathetic lead characters.
The only "should" that I'm throwing at the writers is that they should have written stronger characters. Had they done that, this would have almost certainly have been a far better anime, and we (as in, this show's critics) may have had a better chance of really connecting with the story and the drama. Ok, that, and the writers should have written a plot with less inconsistencies and inane plot devices. Quote:
These are some really good points, and I found myself thinking much the same things as I watched this episode. Some of them are minor, but they do exist as inconsistencies. As others have said (Skane from memory... apologies if I'm wrong), there almost seems to have been some very poor planning go into the storyboarding stage of production, and the results seems to have been these inconsistencies... most of which are minor, IMO, but all so frequent, that it adds in a cumulative effect and becomes difficult not to notice. Great points on the character development. As you say, it is cheap if characters do complete backflips or if all their changes can be traced back to one moment, but it's not the first time this series has done it. Much worse than Aono's change in this episode (which redeems itself by the fact that it offers a resolution... even if it isn't exactly a strong one) was Yorito's sudden desire to end his life in the last, which virtually came out of nowhere. I can forgive the former, but I can't forgive the latter. Overall verdict: for me, this show falls smack bang in the middle of mediocrity. There are a few good points, but they're overshadowed not by one or two significantly bad things, but numerous little flaws that simply add up. I think, rather forgettable in the end.
__________________
|
|
2007-07-02, 08:45 | Link #67 |
Lost in my dreams...
Join Date: Jun 2006
Age: 38
|
And so it comes to an end.
I must say that the last episode turned out better than i expected. The ending we arrived at was one i had been expecting for some eps, but the ride that took us there was enjoyable. The final showdown was good, but i can't shake the feeling that they chose to ignore the respective wounds the two had received for a second, and let them dish it out at full power (Am i the only one who thought "Renji!!" after what Aono did with her sword ? ). I was fully expecting Yorito to pop out when Aono was doing her "final charge", and i wasn't let down. Seems like Aono struggled to reject the reality about Yorito till the very last second. Matsuri... i guess that means she went in the sunrise. Makes me wonder if it was possible for her to actually survive, because there didn't seem to be at least any immediate consequences to the ritual. But i guess she was tired of living as well. 1 year later. I am glad to see Aono didn't do a neck-slash v2.0, and her personality has taken a change to the better. Much better. Or maybe one can say she went back to how she was before. The change in her personality is big, but i guess the 1 year of time she, apparently, used to ponder upon things was used wisely. I guess the reason why it took 1 year for her to approach Koyori/Mana again was because she wondered what to do with her life. I am pleased with the choice she took - not many get a second life. Takeshi / Mauko scene made me laugh ... can't say i disagree with Takeshi though. So... she ditched Shinku's outfit and went for Suiseiseki's clothes. I am sure the team stole the outfit ideas from Rozen Maiden Sae is as bad(?) as ever. Mana has adopted Yorito's sky-baka habits it seems, and takes them to the same extremes. The two tin cans in the end... no, i don't believe the two are alive. I simply see no way how that could be. (Though if you are hell-bent on making this a happy end, i guess you could find the scene vague enough to support the idea of them being alive. Though i highly doubt they would be anywhere near this city in the case). Rather, I think the two cans (along with Mana's sky obsession and Aono's memories) reaffirm the fact that Morimiya Yorito and Shihō Matsuri truly did exist and were more than mere illusions, and the memory of them has not completely faded from this existence, opposed to what Matsuri seemed to think. A fitting end to this story, and i can say that overall the impression is definitely a positive one and the ride was very enjoyable, despite some of the flaws i will touch upon in the overall impressions thread. You have reached Sola: True End
__________________
|
2007-07-02, 10:13 | Link #68 | |
Ecchi!
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Oslo, Norway
Age: 36
|
Quote:
my feelings exactely especially about the 2 tomato-juice cans. Now I'll order the Sola Music CD, and wait for the DVD's to come out, and then hope for a English version of the game (or at least an English patch) I though from the start, even a long time before Sola started that I was going to like this Anime, and I was not wrong. Sola is a Anime I love and cant wait to see more of it. (DVD's and manga) btw...Anyone heard anything about the Manga beeing translated to English? (Lisence this already and get it produced and shipped to me!! ) Matsuri is still one of my favorite Anime girls, and will forever be so. her personality and look completes her
__________________
|
|
2007-07-02, 10:45 | Link #70 | |
Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
|
Quote:
Cans not there earlier: Cans there: So here's my question: If a human can become a yaka after death, what would happen if a yaka died? |
|
2007-07-02, 11:26 | Link #71 |
Beat L.A.!!!
Join Date: Jul 2007
|
Just finished watching the last episode and I would have to say it's a great ending, although not the best. Just have 2 disappointments though...
- The 2 cans at the ending were uncalled for... I would've been happier if they didn't show that, but now because of the cans there are speculations that both Matsuri and Yorito were alive.. As much as I liked Matsuri, I was hoping that the ending won't be similar to other anime where one particular character seemingly "dies" then gives a sign that the character didn't really die... - There were no explanations on why Matsuri became a yaka in the first place. That would've probably made her story much sadder and the anime more dramatic (unless I missed something which I know I didn't). |
2007-07-02, 11:28 | Link #72 |
I can has drinks?
Join Date: Mar 2006
|
Good end. Looking forward to the DVD eps. Maybe it'll include that house Yorito talked about in earlier episodes (one with the best view), or maybe a Mana/Koyori special.
Or obligatory beach/hot springs episode. This series was a breath of fresh air. |
2007-07-02, 11:53 | Link #73 | |
Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
|
Quote:
I loved the ending because it wasn't the type of ending which was crafted to depress (AIR). Here, you see two people who really had no reason to exist in the first place die happily. Yorito wasn't really meant to exist. Matsuri was a Yaka who could only destroy. There wasn't a point in the existence of either character. Aono, the symbol of life, received the ability to continue her life as a normal person in the end. Had she remained a Yaka, it would've been depressing as hell because she would've lost the only two people which could have comforted her at all. She would be alone in the darkness... which sucks. Thankfully, she became human in the end. Good ending. I wouldn't mind seeing Matsuri and Yorito come back somehow, but even if they don't, the ending was still great. 9/10 for me. |
|
2007-07-02, 15:58 | Link #74 |
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Middle of Somewhere
|
Because the two cans scene is shown so quickly afterward, it made me forget that Anno just kick the vending machine. Think about that, it means a little bit of Matsuri is now part of Anno. Could also be Yorito, but since the sword gave Matsuri's life to Anno.
|
2007-07-02, 17:01 | Link #76 | |
Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
|
Quote:
|
|
2007-07-02, 17:10 | Link #77 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 67
|
To me, the series suffered from "Star Trek Q" problems ... once you propose the existence of such powers .... it really can screw up any plot. Also, I'm really really not a fan of "and they fixed it all with a mindwipe" -- again because of "Q" problems.
Like some other posters, if I don't really examine what is happening toooo closely, I can enjoy the show and the characters but I think writers too often introduce powers to characters that they don't think carefully enough as to how it could impact later events. Back to reversing the polarity of my bogosity waves so I can toast my bread.... I'll give them lots of points for creation of atmosphere, mood, and the rather novel creatures they invoked. I still haven't found any japan mythos that connects to Matsuri's particular style of night creature.
__________________
|
2007-07-02, 19:48 | Link #79 | |||||
sensei no pet
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Virginia, USA
|
Quote:
Bad luck. Love needs no excuse. About the earthquake, it occurred to me that the ruined buildings in the last two episodes were the remnants of an earthquake. So Aono's life as a yaka begins and ends in rubble. Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
And how surprised will we all be to find out the player character is going to be Mana. |
|||||
2007-07-02, 20:43 | Link #80 | ||||
Bemused Scholar
Join Date: Jan 2007
Age: 36
|
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Spoiler for AIR:
Anyway, I can think of several possibilities for the extra Sola episodes. Unfortunately, this may be because I still feel that lots of things were omitted within the series itself. - The backstory of Yorito, Aono, and Matsuri. I thought it was very significant that Matsuri told Aono in the final episode that she and Yorito had taught her how to feel human emotions. How did that happen? When we first met Matsuri in episode 1, she seemed already human enough in her emotions. Thus, I'm assuming that she must have learned so hundreds of years ago, when the 3 were still close friends. Seeing as we barely got any indication of such an important event in the meager flashbacks, I sure hope we get to see such character development for Matsuri in the extra episodes. And oh yeah, what exacty happened to them anyway? What was Yorito doing in a house when we've seen him in a cave all this time? Did Matsuri actually leave with Aono and Yorito to a different place? I can understand why Kanna, Uraha, and Ryuya were friends in the Summer arc of AIR; I'm still clueless as to how Aono, Matsuri, and Yorito became friends. And what's with the obsession with the sky in the first place? - More of Takeshi and Mayuko's backstory. How did two little kids survive 17 years on their own? Did Takeshi run away from home, or was he just an orphan to begin with? How did Takeshi learn so much about Yakas? Where did he get his magical Yaka-slaying sword? What about all those flash darts that he packs? And where does he get all his money from? I mean, he had like a dozen large UV lamps when he first fought Matsuri. - What happened to Aono during the one year time leap in the final episode? What had caused her to change from wanting to commit suicide because Yorito was dead, to being so friendly and happy and vending machine-kicking? How does she support herself now that she can't create stuff out of paper? And did she still retain her pwnage origami skills? - How did Aono first come to the town, create Yorito and their house, and establish their lives there? Wouldn't people have found it strange that a house would just pop up out of nowhere? How'd she even acquire that lot anyway? And what excuse did she give concerning the existance of their parents? Does Yorito even think that he has parents? Does he think himself to be an orphan, or does he think his parents are away? And if Aono had such control over Yorito's memory, why doesn't she just wipe his memory concerning Matsuri and start all over again anyway? I might be a bit nit-picky with this show, but I like to scrutinize stories a lot. Hey, I only do this for stories that I'm interested in, so at least this shows I'm interested in Sola's plot. It's just that I'm finding more unanswered questions and inconsistancies in this show that I do in some of my better-ranked anime. But it's not terrible...just somewhat disappointing at times. |
||||
|
|