2011-10-12, 04:49 | Link #123 |
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I think this shows greatest strength is in having characters that come across as believable and human in a way that's really rare in TV anime nowadays. Really it seems like OVAs and Movies are the only time I really get characters like this with anywhere near this level of humanity to them. I'm kind of reminded of the movie Colorful while watching this, it has that same human factor to it that that movie did.
I think we have a hidden gem on our hands here folks. Hopefully more people can pull their eyes away from all the giants airing this season to check this out a little as well. The thread could use a few extra posters. |
2011-10-12, 06:08 | Link #125 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Edinburgh
Age: 42
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Is this show just about Chihaya's past, or do we get to see her in the present time.
Episode was alright, kind of highlights how cruel children can be. Obliviously there is bullying going on, what the hell is the classroom teacher doing? However I do like how they manage to transmit what is happening in the characters lifes, without shifting too much focus from the card game. So far, what I am getting from the anime is: Chihaya, ignored by parents, because of her bigger sister Taichi, pushed by mother to be the best in one subject(?) Wataya, not too sure about him. |
2011-10-12, 06:23 | Link #126 |
Kana Hanazawa ♥
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: France
Age: 37
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Welp, Taichi is definitely a dick. I'm pretty sure he's going redeem himself from now on, although I'm not sure Arata and him will ever truly become friends. We shall see. I think the flashback is going to last for a while, and I personally don't mind it one bit.
Chihaya cemented her position as the best female character of the season for me. She's just awesome. She was amazing during the match, and I very much enjoyed her playing style. She was aware of her weakness and compensated for it nicely "by reading her opponent". However, I felt it really was cheap that she could remove a dozen cards at once and still win as long as the correct card was among them. What's up with that rule?
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2011-10-12, 09:47 | Link #127 |
You are Reading this!
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: In the study room
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A fabulous episode, complemented by the wonderful OP and ED.
However, I would like to see more of the present day characters and how far their friendship has developed, not to say I mind the showing of their past though. Very well done indeed. I think its more like she prefers him to be active in whatever he is already very good in, so that he will never be the 'loser'. |
2011-10-12, 12:14 | Link #128 |
Seishu's Ace
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kobe, Japan
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I'm dismayed but not surprised to see the near-universal condemnation of Taichi as vile and irredeemable, and I'm someone who thought his actions were awful (especially the glasses). I'm sure all the haters acted with compassion and courage at all times in elementary school, and never let peer pressure convince them to do something they knew was wrong.
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2011-10-12, 12:15 | Link #129 |
Yuuki Aoi
Join Date: Jul 2004
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Yes, Kaioshin, one almost forgets what real characters are like. And these seem real. Taichi may be the most real: you see him being a dick, then you see his mother (and by inference his father) and realize why he might have drifted in that direction. But he began to redeem himself a bit by actually owning up to it to Arata. It seems very true to life, however, that he would not want Chihaya to know. I'm with Guardian Enzo in my attitude toward him: "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."
But the thing that pleased me most about this episode was Seto Asami's voice acting. The freshness and urgency were wonderful. She is the only one of the three leads who does her voice at both ages. Taichi is done by Mamoru Miyano older and Takagaki Ayahi as a child. Arata by Hosoya Yoshimasa and Terasaki Yuka. Seto-san never went to a seiyuu training school, but got into the Sigma Seven agency via audition last year. She was Takatsuki in Hourou Musuko, Amelita in Dog Days, and played Yukiatsu as a child in Ano Hana. She apparently auditioned for Hunter x Hunter, and the producers didn't like her for that but gave her a chance for this role. She turned 18 in April. Here are three photos: The mangaka, Suetsugu Yuki, said that she found episode one twice as enjoyable as the manga, and Seto-san excellent. She just was Chihaya. There was nothing off about her at all, including her Fukui accent.
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Last edited by Kaoru Chujo; 2011-10-12 at 13:27. |
2011-10-12, 13:33 | Link #130 | |
Me, An Intellectual
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: UK
Age: 33
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Also, it was really cute seeing Chihaya so hyperactive, particularly at the end. She's like a mini Ohana.
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Last edited by Haak; 2011-10-12 at 16:39. |
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2011-10-12, 14:58 | Link #131 | |
Seishu's Ace
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kobe, Japan
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2011-10-12, 15:19 | Link #132 |
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Miami, FL
Age: 37
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I will say this about the present Taichi: he needs to either break if off with his girlfriend or get over Chihaya. Neither of those are simple tasks, but it's far better than unintentionally hurting someone else. It was unsettling to see how quickly he dismissed his girlfriend when he thought Chihaya was interested.
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2011-10-12, 15:22 | Link #133 |
Guess what time it is?
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Age: 38
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I really like Taichi so far. There, I said it.
I love how in a single scene we learned everything we need to know about how he's been raised. "I can't show your father this" was telling. He's an impressionable young boy being brought up to believe that anything he can't excel at is a waste of time. He clearly enjoys karuta, but since winning is more important than having fun, he's told to just forget about it. Something in him knows this is wrong, though: He's developed a precocious crush on a girl whose view of Karuta -- and, by extension, life -- is very different. The game is what matters. The excitement. The challenge. Clearly this appeals to him, or he wouldn't be so desperate for her approval. |
2011-10-12, 15:27 | Link #134 |
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Kaoru Chujo, Haak, and Guardian Enzo - Why do you think Taichi is getting overly hated on this thread?
Taichi was absolutely awful in Episode 2. One of the loudest displays of douchebaggery I've seen from someone other than a Snidely Whiplash-style villain in a long, long time (and his level of cheating would make the worse sports villains I've seen blush). This makes Hanasaku Iroha's Minchi seem like a complete angel by comparison, and that's saying something. The level of hatred I've seen Taichi get on this thread hardly seems disproportionate given his awful behavior in this episode. Is Taichi irredeemable? No. But let's be frank. The anime itself clearly set him up to be a bully that gets taught a lesson by the heroine Chihaya, so why shouldn't viewers roll with it and get the emotional catharsis that comes with it? I for one found it very rewarding to see him get his comeuppance, and I'm rather amazed at how anybody could root for him in this episode. Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed at how one-sided Taichi's characterization has been so far. I had hoped and thought that his motivation was more than pure jealousy, but it looks like I was wrong there. However, Chihaya and Arata are excellent characters, and Episode 2 was a pretty good episode overall. Seems to me that a character guilty of vicious bullying is getting overly loved on this thread, if anything...
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2011-10-12, 16:05 | Link #135 | |
Kana Hanazawa ♥
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: France
Age: 37
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He acts like a total douche, therefore people hate him. What's wrong with judging characters based on their actions? You said yourself they were awful. Yes, he has his issues, but guess what, EVERYBODY DOES. I haven't had the best childhood either but it's never stopped me from being considerate of others. Arata's issues are far more serious than Taichi's from I'm standing, yet you don't see him act like him.
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2011-10-12, 16:09 | Link #136 | |
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Age: 35
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As for Episode 2, it watched kinda like generic sports anime. We got Arata being super l33t and serious. We got Chihaya messing around and "Wow, you've got so much potential!". Unfortunately, none of these characters have got any definition/points of interest yet beyond the context of Karuta for me. And while I'm not disinterested in Karuta, this series thus far hasn't done that great a job either in communicating the appeal of Karuta itself. In that light, Chihaya's line to the effect of "I just need to concentrate on the first syllables of the poems I do know, the meaning of the poems don't matter" was particularly ironic, lol :P. Was not actually impressed by episode 2 thus far. At the moment, characterization/development in the older/future portion of the story seems to be more interesting. Well, at least the episode was still technically excellent though. |
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2011-10-12, 16:09 | Link #137 | ||
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Join Date: Aug 2007
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Did you not see how his mother acted? I think it is pretty clear that his motivation definitely is more than pure jealousy. He has a reason he wants to be the best. And while what Tachi did was definitely wrong I don't think his character was one sided at all. The scene where he gave back Arata's glasses and admitted he stole them did show that there was more to him than a simple bully. But obviously his character still needs to develop. Quote:
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2011-10-12, 16:26 | Link #138 |
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I meant his motivation for attacking Arata in Episode 1, not his motivation for wanting to win the match. I had initially thought that Taichi had sincerely wanted to protect Chihaya from getting her reputation hurt through befriending the ostracized Arata. However, what I had taken as concern from a friend was instead a threat arising out of jealousy.
It's certainly true that Taichi's character may well develop into someone more admirable that what he is right now, but his behavior in Episode 2 is something worthy of a visceral reaction, imo.
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2011-10-12, 16:38 | Link #139 | ||
Guess what time it is?
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Age: 38
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Your comparison to a sports anime is apt, in this episode at least. I tend to be excessively forgiving of cliches in that particular genre, which may explain a lot about why I enjoyed it. Quote:
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2011-10-12, 16:45 | Link #140 | |
Me at work
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Arata said it best,Taichi's a coward,not some evil bully that picks on people just for fun,that's a whole lot different. I don't hate (or even dislike) cowards,I pity them.I also have no respect for them and don't root for them.
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josei, karuta, madhouse |
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