AnimeSuki Forums

FatPianoBoy · 2011-04-22, 22:59

Genderswap the clothes sniffing scene. Still creepy?

wandering-dreamer · 2011-04-22, 23:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatPianoBoy

Genderswap the clothes sniffing scene. Still creepy?

For me, yep. Dunno why but to me it doesn't matter whose sniffing whatever article of clothing someone else wore, it just seems really strange to me.

FatPianoBoy · 2011-04-22, 23:17

Scent is strongly tied to memory, so seeking a person's scent when you're thinking of them isn't that strange; especially if they've been dead for years. I don't understand why everything has to be interpreted sexually. I do wonder how he got her dress, though.

frubam · 2011-04-22, 23:22

I am not so sure Menma's a ghost. I did think so until I saw her eat the meat. After that, I was under the impression that she really was a figment of his imagination(or 'stress' as he puts it). If it WAS a ghost, the meat would have it the floor when she 'ate' it. I think us seeing her eat it is a psychological illusion through Jinta's eyes.

Despite Anaru not standing up for Jinta when she was with her friends, I was surprised that she was so heavily into games and manga. She is cute in her own way, and physically, with that hairstyle and occasional glasses, looked adorable =03. It was nice to see her and Jinta(with Poppo) on friendly terms and hanging out with each other.

As far as the Yukiteiru(?) sniffing thing goes, it's rude to say its abnormal or weird. I suppose that's how society sees it though. Through personal experience, I can say that I do something similar, but it doesn't stem from some sick perverse fantasy, like some of you make it out to be, but rather a powerful sense of longing and attachment to that person whose scent you are smelling. I DO wonder how the hell he could have gotten such a thing though

. I wouldn't be surprised if......

Anyway, does anyone know what exactly Jinta's certificates were for?

OceanBlue · 2011-04-23, 00:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by frubam

I am not so sure Menma's a ghost. I did think so until I saw her eat the meat. After that, I was under the impression that she really was a figment of his imagination(or 'stress' as he puts it). If it WAS a ghost, the meat would have it the floor when she 'ate' it. I think us seeing her eat it is a psychological illusion through Jinta's eyes.

We might be going about this ghost thing the wrong way. She might be a ghost, but she might be able to do unconventional things such as interact with the environment and eat. I still think she's been in too many scenes without Jinta to mean she was a figment of his imagination.

Tu101uk · 2011-04-23, 00:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by frubam

As far as the Yukiteiru(?) sniffing thing goes, it's rude to say its abnormal or weird. I suppose that's how society sees it though. Through personal experience, I can say that I do something similar, but it doesn't stem from some sick perverse fantasy, like some of you make it out to be, but rather a powerful sense of longing and attachment to that person whose scent you are smelling. I DO wonder how the hell he could have gotten such a thing though

. I wouldn't be surprised if......

Methinks it's the fact that he's got something of Menma's (her dress, from the looks of things) that is creeping everyone out, not necessarily that he's doing the action of sniffing to remember someone by...

Anyways, great series is great so far. I'm a sucker for coming-of-age stories (think Stand By Me and similar stuff) and this is no exception. I'm absolutely compelled to continue watching this group of teens (and a ghost/hallucination/"stress"/"trauma"/whatever you want to call Menma XD) and how they've changed from when they were kids (especially after "the incident"), as well as (eventually) how they'll continue to develop as they rediscover their bonds with each other. So far, the "easy" ones have been reeled in and we're only in episode 2, meaning that there'll be a bit more angst (especially from Yukiatsu) to come - I suspect some sort of bust-up that'll temporarily split the newly-reformed group up for a couple of episodes before we get our bittersweet (and most probably tear-worthy) ending...

...and by the way, Anaru (lol) has been totally redeemed in my eyes. First episode didn't really put her in the greatest light (I mean, how could someone go from a cute otaku/meganekko to being "one of the gals"? >.< Time changes certain people so much, I know exactly what that feels like), but the second episode totally blew that wide open - you can change what you look like, but you can't hide who you really are forever, it seems ^_^. +1 for someone rooting for her to confess to Jinta and moving on... :3

O-O~

Mr.Garfield · 2011-04-23, 00:53

Quote:

...and by the way, Anaru (lol) has been totally redeemed in my eyes. First episode didn't really put her in the greatest light (I mean, how could someone go from a cute otaku/meganekko to being "one of the gals"?), but the second episode totally blew that wide open - you can change what you look like, but you can't hide who you really are forever, it seems ^_^. +1 for someone rooting for her to confess to Jinta and moving on... :3

Actually from the scene with her mom in ep1 i already thought she didn't change much at all (the outside yes but it's understandable for a girl her age). Maybe it's just my feeling but it seems ep2 has proven it for me.
and +1 for Jintan x Anaru

Malkuth · 2011-04-23, 01:19

Becoming an adult and entering their society seems to be a major theme in both of Mari's shows this season. Here though, it seems to be an escape from childhood trauma, rather than a forced objective as in iroha for the main cast. All of the characters to a great extent are unable to move on with their lives and are reminiscent and/or regretful of their childhood.

What can I say, nice stuff, it's been a while since noitamina delivered an interesting, yet realistic story

***Pellissier*** · 2011-04-23, 01:26

About the speculation on what Menma is now, I don't think it's a mental image or hallucination because we have seen she can interact with objects and people of the real world (the glass at her home, the weight on Anaru's shoulder). Most likely a ghost, she actually reminds me a bit of a Poltergeist phenomena, because usually a Poltergeist occurs when there's a spirit of person who died with an unfulfilled wish. So the spirit comes back and haunts the people and the places he used to frequent when alive, until his wish is granted. When such condition is met, the spirit disappears.
Of course, the Poltergeist I've seen depicted so far mostly dealt with very angry, infuriated ghosts, which is not Menma's case. But the wish part is there. Finally note as "Poltergeist" literally means "noisy ghost"

Anyway, moving on I suspect that the sense of guilt for Menma's death is shared by several people and so far we've only seen part of it, in episode 1 it was shown to us how Jintan feels responsible for what happened. In episode 2, we learn that Anaru also feels responsible for having asked Jintan whether he liked Menma, thus igniting the chain of events who brought to the girl's death.

I expect to see similar feelings/stories from both Tsuruko and Yukiatsu in the upcoming episodes, they must have one major reason to feel guilty about that day. Also note when Tsuruko said to Anaru something like "you brought it to yourself and then cry over it", (pathetic) just like Yukiatsu".

At the same time, I don't think Poppo does have one. In facts he's the only one out of the five friends who doesn't appear to be changed in the years. He's also acting as the true catalyst of the story, since he's the one slowly putting the pieces together (in this episode, Jintan and Anaru's definitive (?) reconciliation).

So, as a brief outline.

Menma --> central theme
Jintan, Anaru --> moved by guilt, have been pushed to start going on.
Tsuruko, Yukiatsu --> moved by guilt but at this point of time still "frozen".
Poppo --> not moved by old senses, catalyst for the others' reunion.

Kaoru Chujo · 2011-04-23, 01:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyouray

...It should be something more complex since Anaru felt Menma's weight in the 1st episode....

I forgot that: true. Could be some particular form of ghost, or something more complex. Figment of imagination seems out.

Soconfused · 2011-04-23, 01:58

I just hope the others will be able to see her at some point in the series, or at least be able to "feel" her presence or something. Though I guess it's not entirely necessary if the whole thing is just about them getting back together as friends. I'm sure at the end of the series they'll all see her floating away into heaven after granting her wish. Jintan was sane all along!

Saturn Beaver · 2011-04-23, 03:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tu101uk

Methinks it's the fact that he's got something of Menma's (her dress, from the looks of things) that is creeping everyone out, not necessarily that he's doing the action of sniffing to remember someone by...

Yeah, I guess that it resembles a dress is something that creeps people out. If it's just a trinket or something that Menma gave Yukiatsu back then, which makes it the only thing that he has to remember her by, it's okay, but a dress...it seems unlikely that she gave him one, and the alternative that he stole it or something (because if I was a parent, I'm not giving my dead daughter's friend her clothes just because he ask me nicely) is a bit disturbing. Not to mention, there's a certain possibility too that she's wearing that clothes when she died, which is just an extra layer of creepy on the creepy flavored cake.

That being said, even with smell being the best way to relive memory or things like that, I still find it creepy as well. I don't know, if he just put in in his personal shrine to see it is one thing, but for me sniffing someone signifies a bit of intimacy, if only because it has to be close and personal unlike other senses like seeing or hearing that you can do over a distance. The fact that it's about his dead, no older than 8 years old crush really isn't helping any, at all.

tezu · 2011-04-23, 05:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by totoum

I have no problem with Menma being a ghost though I can see where tezu is coming from but there's one thing I strongly disagree with

I can't quite figure out how to say this but I hope I'll make myself understandable.

You say Gintan needs a ghost to push him,I say that's not the case at all,because Gintan doesn't know she's a ghost,he assumes that it's a psychological phenomenon.So all of his actions have been the same as if Menma was just a delusion of his not because she's a ghost.
So so far Menma being a ghost or a delusion has had no effect on the character's decisions.

I understand what you mean, but if I saw a dead person, I'd naturally think it was a hallucination; common sense usually tells us that ghosts don't exist (except in fiction). And whether I interpret the phenomenon as a hallucination or a real ghost, I'd be influenced by it anyway. My point is that if ghost!Menma had never appeared (existed), Jintan would have stayed the way he was because he would have never seen her to begin with. He would've dealt with his guilt differently, by playing games everyday and skipping school. But now they've established ghost!Menma as a real, independent character and her existence/appearance pushes and guides him as he struggles to fulfill her wish.

But I'm rambling and I don't want to be overly nitpicky because the series' execution so far is close to flawless. It's a plot device that's often used, so I'm just gonna accept it and lean back and enjoy the upcoming episodes

And lol @ Yukiatsu sniffing the dress. I also wonder how he acquired it........I certainly can't think of a logical reason xD

Anh_Minh · 2011-04-23, 05:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saturn Beaver

Yeah, I guess that it resembles a dress is something that creeps people out. If it's just a trinket or something that Menma gave Yukiatsu back then, which makes it the only thing that he has to remember her by, it's okay, but a dress...it seems unlikely that she gave him one, and the alternative that he stole it or something (because if I was a parent, I'm not giving my dead daughter's friend her clothes just because he ask me nicely) is a bit disturbing. Not to mention, there's a certain possibility too that she's wearing that clothes when she died, which is just an extra layer of creepy on the creepy flavored cake.

Maybe he was into crossdressing as a kid, and Menma enabled him...

felix · 2011-04-23, 05:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Maybe he was into crossdressing as a kid, and Menma enabled him...

His personality would indicate otherwise.

diabolistic · 2011-04-23, 09:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

The ED is sung by the seiyuu, if I remember correctly. Anyway, the single releases the 27th in Japan. I can't wait!

Noice, I'll be in Japan from the 26th so I may have to pick up this bad boy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pellissier

At the same time, I don't think Poppo does have one. In facts he's the only one out of the five friends who doesn't appear to be changed in the years.

Well, Poppo also decided to avoid school and travel. In fact, it seems like he's trying to get as far away from Japan as possible...

DragoZERO · 2011-04-23, 09:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by diabolistic

Well, Poppo also decided to avoid school and travel. In fact, it seems like he's trying to get as far away from Japan as possible...

Yeah, I think Poppo is changed because of Menma as well. He is acting as the catalyst, but everyone was impacted negatively (more than you would expect) because of Menma dying.

ahelo · 2011-04-23, 10:50

This just proves that everyone loves Pokemon. Though it seems that previous games are pretty rare these. I missed the "the only way to get this Pokemon is to trade it like Machoke to Machamp" and you have to get your friends to do it with you. My childhood is Pokemon (though I still buy every version) and this series became from awesome to AWESOME.

Let's not forget the great character developments of this episode.

***Pellissier*** · 2011-04-23, 10:58

I made a set of semi-animated signatures from the OP, one for each character, "semi" because in each the left part is a kind of slot machine effect with the right character appearing in the end (unfortunately could not make that sequence too long due to size constraint). On the right there's a normal static image, with the corresponding character. Imagery is not the best in some cases, but I chose to use images from the OP only, because of the nostalgic feeling, so the available stock was limited. Freebies of course!

.

Spoiler for signatures' codes:

frubam · 2011-04-23, 12:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

We might be going about this ghost thing the wrong way. She might be a ghost, but she might be able to do unconventional things such as interact with the environment and eat. I still think she's been in too many scenes without Jinta to mean she was a figment of his imagination.

You do make a point, and I haven't forgotten the 'weight' scene in the first episode, I just thought that those might be tactics to throw the viewer off

. I think I'll stay cynical about her being a ghost for now, until I SEE(har har) some irrefutable proof.

2011-04-23, 01:26	Link #369
*Pellissier* ♪~ Daydreaming ~♪ Graphic Designer Administrator Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Italy	About the speculation on what Menma is now, I don't think it's a mental image or hallucination because we have seen she can interact with objects and people of the real world (the glass at her home, the weight on Anaru's shoulder). Most likely a ghost, she actually reminds me a bit of a Poltergeist phenomena, because usually a Poltergeist occurs when there's a spirit of person who died with an unfulfilled wish. So the spirit comes back and haunts the people and the places he used to frequent when alive, until his wish is granted. When such condition is met, the spirit disappears. Of course, the Poltergeist I've seen depicted so far mostly dealt with very angry, infuriated ghosts, which is not Menma's case. But the wish part is there. Finally note as "Poltergeist" literally means "noisy ghost" Anyway, moving on I suspect that the sense of guilt for Menma's death is shared by several people and so far we've only seen part of it, in episode 1 it was shown to us how Jintan feels responsible for what happened. In episode 2, we learn that Anaru also feels responsible for having asked Jintan whether he liked Menma, thus igniting the chain of events who brought to the girl's death. I expect to see similar feelings/stories from both Tsuruko and Yukiatsu in the upcoming episodes, they must have one major reason to feel guilty about that day. Also note when Tsuruko said to Anaru something like "you brought it to yourself and then cry over it", (pathetic) just like Yukiatsu". At the same time, I don't think Poppo does have one. In facts he's the only one out of the five friends who doesn't appear to be changed in the years. He's also acting as the true catalyst of the story, since he's the one slowly putting the pieces together (in this episode, Jintan and Anaru's definitive (?) reconciliation). So, as a brief outline. Menma --> central theme Jintan, Anaru --> moved by guilt, have been pushed to start going on. Tsuruko, Yukiatsu --> moved by guilt but at this point of time still "frozen". Poppo --> not moved by old senses, catalyst for the others' reunion. __________________

2011-04-23, 01:58	Link #371
Soconfused Old God Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: you....don't wanna know Age: 37	I just hope the others will be able to see her at some point in the series, or at least be able to "feel" her presence or something. Though I guess it's not entirely necessary if the whole thing is just about them getting back together as friends. I'm sure at the end of the series they'll all see her floating away into heaven after granting her wish. Jintan was sane all along! __________________ What exactly is the point of becoming powerful if one cannot indulge the hedonistic opportunities that come with it? Last edited by Soconfused; 2011-04-23 at 02:13.

2011-04-23, 10:50	Link #378
ahelo Criminal Unrequitor Graphic Designer Join Date: Jul 2010	This just proves that everyone loves Pokemon. Though it seems that previous games are pretty rare these. I missed the "the only way to get this Pokemon is to trade it like Machoke to Machamp" and you have to get your friends to do it with you. My childhood is Pokemon (though I still buy every version) and this series became from awesome to AWESOME. Let's not forget the great character developments of this episode. __________________ Traveler on Revenge / Ahelo Sigs / Saimoe Report! Signature by ganbaru

2011-04-23, 10:58	Link #379
*Pellissier* ♪~ Daydreaming ~♪ Graphic Designer Administrator Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Italy	I made a set of semi-animated signatures from the OP, one for each character, "semi" because in each the left part is a kind of slot machine effect with the right character appearing in the end (unfortunately could not make that sequence too long due to size constraint). On the right there's a normal static image, with the corresponding character. Imagery is not the best in some cases, but I chose to use images from the OP only, because of the nostalgic feeling, so the available stock was limited. Freebies of course! . . . Spoiler for signatures' codes: Since each signature contains 2 images, I figured I would put the codes down here to simplify. Copy/paste these links (2 for each signature) into your sign field. JINTAN [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/zX4nS.gif[/IMG][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/QXeBx.jpg[/IMG] MENMA [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/GssHc.gif[/IMG][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/lJtTc.jpg[/IMG] ANARU [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/VcWmB.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/JDpXM.jpg[/IMG] TSURUKO [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/FtxdB.gif[/IMG][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/2mOK6.jpg[/IMG] YUKIATSU [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/iH7la.gif[/IMG][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/SsC3h.jpg[/IMG] POPPO [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/2IUVD.gif[/IMG][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/q0FYk.jpg[/IMG] __________________

2011-04-22, 22:59	Link #361
FatPianoBoy Dansa med oss Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Near Cincinnati, OH, but actually in Kentucky Age: 36	Genderswap the clothes sniffing scene. Still creepy?

2011-04-22, 23:17	Link #363
FatPianoBoy Dansa med oss Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Near Cincinnati, OH, but actually in Kentucky Age: 36	Scent is strongly tied to memory, so seeking a person's scent when you're thinking of them isn't that strange; especially if they've been dead for years. I don't understand why everything has to be interpreted sexually. I do wonder how he got her dress, though.

2011-04-22, 23:22	Link #364
frubam simp for Lyria Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: on the Grandcypher Age: 40	I am not so sure Menma's a ghost. I did think so until I saw her eat the meat. After that, I was under the impression that she really was a figment of his imagination(or 'stress' as he puts it). If it WAS a ghost, the meat would have it the floor when she 'ate' it. I think us seeing her eat it is a psychological illusion through Jinta's eyes. Despite Anaru not standing up for Jinta when she was with her friends, I was surprised that she was so heavily into games and manga. She is cute in her own way, and physically, with that hairstyle and occasional glasses, looked adorable =03. It was nice to see her and Jinta(with Poppo) on friendly terms and hanging out with each other. As far as the Yukiteiru(?) sniffing thing goes, it's rude to say its abnormal or weird. I suppose that's how society sees it though. Through personal experience, I can say that I do something similar, but it doesn't stem from some sick perverse fantasy, like some of you make it out to be, but rather a powerful sense of longing and attachment to that person whose scent you are smelling. I DO wonder how the hell he could have gotten such a thing though . I wouldn't be surprised if...... Anyway, does anyone know what exactly Jinta's certificates were for?

2011-04-23, 01:19	Link #368
Malkuth Banned Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: London Age: 43	Becoming an adult and entering their society seems to be a major theme in both of Mari's shows this season. Here though, it seems to be an escape from childhood trauma, rather than a forced objective as in iroha for the main cast. All of the characters to a great extent are unable to move on with their lives and are reminiscent and/or regretful of their childhood. What can I say, nice stuff, it's been a while since noitamina delivered an interesting, yet realistic story