(L) Bonen no Xamdou (Xam'd: Lost Memories)

[Twisted Reality]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

Bad rep for stating a personal opinion is certainly childish. If a person disagrees, it would be far more helpful to post a rebuttal. But, ah well, that's the way the rep system works.

That said though, I, too, disagree strongly with your opinion. I'm not disappointed with the conclusion because of overly high expectations for the show — that's an unfair statement for you to make in the first place (you're essentially saying, "I think it's great, and if you don't agree with me, it's because you're too dumb to 'get it'.")

I like action when it's done well. I like happy endings, especially when they are well deserved. Xamdou succeeds extremely well in the animation, action and music departments, but when it comes to its story, it falls completely flat — the entire storyline is actually a half-baked interpretation of Nausicaa's main theme of the value of struggling against inevitability.

Those who've read Miyazaki's manga would know what I mean. Watching Ep26, I couldn't help wincing at how badly Xamdou's writers misunderstand the very concepts that they are trying to portray. And that detracts tremendously from my viewing pleasure. Ultimately, Xamdou's story makes very little sense, in terms of character motivations and plot development.

If you think differently, try explaining why Nakiami and Sannova made the decisions that they did. Try examining the logic behind Sannova's "religion". In the end, what are the writers trying to say? That nihilism is good? That it's something to struggle against? How so?

They've tried to cast Nakiami into a messianic role, similar to Neo in Matrix Revolutions, but failed to build up her motivations effectively. Her actions, in the end, just don't add up. Hence this hollow feeling despite a gloriously animated ending.

What I get out of Nausicaa's ending:
Something about how the free peoples of the world got fed-up with the looming relic of the past that arbitrarily decided that the humans in it weren't pure enough. It's basically Fallout racism serving as an antagonist, with some commentary about how irrational dogmatism rejects the secular world as being impure and instead pins its hopes on an distant and nebulous "promised land."

It's not just saying that nihilism is bad. It's saying gullibility and rigid dogmatism isn't a good reason to reject what you have on-hand. Self-denial in the pursuit of a foolhardy abstraction is nihilism -- a rejection of life. Salvation is generally a scam. (Fredrich Nietzche!)

Which, I can kind of see in Xam'd. What with the despairing pilgrims killing themselves off and the good-for-nothing clergy propping up a corrupt system involving a God Emperor.

But I never really expected them to take it that seriously, I just thought that the art and some of themes was really just a fanfiction tribute towards Miyazaki's manga. It was undeniably cool to see, but it still felt like they were trying to rip-off material instead of finding their own voice.

You see, this raises a number of confusing contradictions: Sannova's followers are clearly fanatics, but they're really not the bad guys. They oscillate between being sympathetic humans to being utterly unlikeable nut-jobs that will justify any crime in the name of their ideal. It's not undoable to do both of those things, but I'm not sure Bones knows how to handle it. Eureka Seven generally treated their religious-ethnic types as positive figures.

For my part, I hated Sannova and her lot. I wish Nakiami would have gotten over her awe and admiration of Sannova. It would have really brought her full-circle. Needless to say, watching Isshu shoot one of them was a rather cathartic moment.

[[DOT].L]

Xam'd is not good.

It's the first time I've genuinely hated a BONES production. The only things keeping me from rating this show as "bad" are the animation and music. Oh, those two elements are as good as they can be. Everything else, stank. The story made little sense, the storytelling became increasingly putrid as the show went on, and the message, assuming there is a coherent one, was blurred beyond recognition.

I'd never thought I'd say thing about a BONES original, but Xam'd is comparable painstakingly decorated garbage bag. It looks nice and makes one feel nice looking at it, but it's designed to hold absolutely nothing of substance and value.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Twisted Reality

You see, this raises a number of confusing contradictions: Sannova's followers are clearly fanatics, but they're really not the bad guys. They oscillate between being sympathetic humans to being utterly unlikeable nut-jobs that will justify any crime in the name of their ideal. It's not undoable to do both of those things, but I'm not sure Bones knows how to handle it.

Exactly. It makes no sense. For a religious figure who feels sorry about the suffering caused by the Hiruken Emperor's unnnatural birth, and for someone whom Nakaimi described as a person who loves all the peoples of the world, Sannova seemed paradoxically cavalier about the innocent bystanders that her Jibashiri kill whenever they blow themselves up in crowded areas.

So, what is Sannova really? The matriarch of a doomsday cult? If so, why is she being portrayed in such positive light? Am I misunderstanding something here? How could something so vile be seen as something "good"? I remain unconvinced by how she was so easily persuaded by Nakiami's pleas to change her mind, as though it were all "part of the plan".

Is that how it's supposed to be? That she had deliberately adopted the Tenjo of the Tessiks because of some 1000-year-old prophecy, knowing well in advance that the Cloud Rider would eventually rebel? If that's the case, the story did a very poor job of portraying it. The "explanations" offered in Ep25 ended up feeling like a highly contrived deux ex machina instead.

Originally Posted by Twisted Reality

What I get out of Nausicaa's ending:
Something about how the free peoples of the world got fed-up with the looming relic of the past that arbitrarily decided that the humans in it weren't pure enough.... It's not just saying that nihilism is bad.

Actually, thanks to an ongoing discussion in another thread, I can now quite confidently claim that Miyazaki was channelling Albert Camus when he drew the final chapters of Nausicaa:

Master of the Crypt:
Girl…are you saying that efforts to rebuild the world should be abandoned, and humanity left to become extinct?

Nausicaa:
Your question is laughable. We have lived all these centuries with the Sea of Corruption. Extinction has long since become a part of our lives.

Master of the Crypt:
That is nihilism! You are a dangerous darkness. Life is light!

Nausicaa:
You are wrong! Life is the light that shines in the darkness! All things are born from darkness and all things return to darkness, and now it is time for you to return to darkness!

- Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Vol 4, Pg 250-251, Viz Graphic Novel (2001)

This is what Camus had to say about the nihilism:

In the myth of Sisyphus — who according to the Greek myth, was punished for all eternity to roll a rock up a mountain only to have it roll back down to the bottom when he reaches the top — Camus claims that Sisyphus is the ideal absurd hero and that his punishment is representative of the human condition: Sisyphus must struggle perpetually and without hope of success. So long as he accepts that there is nothing more to life than this absurd struggle, then he can find happiness in it.

Now, compare the above to Akiyuki's reaction when he learnt about the "truth" of the Quickening Chamber:

Akiyuki:
How can people just choose death? To struggle is what it means to be human.

- Episode 22

I dare say that Xamdou's writers were trying to portray the value of that "struggle" which Akiyuki spoke of but, somehow, they just couldn't handle it — they didn't fully appreciate the tragic irony of the human condition as expressed by Camus and Miyazaki, so they opted for the flawed but easier-to-understand sacrifice that Nakiami undertook instead.

[Westlo]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

I've never watched Eureka Seven or RahXephon although I've heard many good comments about them. But if Xamdou is supposedly similar to Eureka Seven, then I'm no longer sure I'd want to put myself through a 50+ episode ordeal only to be similarly disappointed in the end.

Nah, Xam'd is not really similar to E7, make sure to give it a shot one day, don't forget Xephon which I (and many others) consider to still be the best show produced by Bones.

[FlareKnight]

Spoiler for Ep26:

Well it wasn't that bad an ending in covering the immediate aftermath and what characters are doing years later. Though at the same time was a bit confused about things in the ending. Still more or less get the things that left me confused. Just putting them into words isn't going to happen .

Kind of wish Yango would have just jumped into the hole rather than trying to keep it open. I can understand him getting into that state, yet it was pretty annoying to watch. Someone falls out of the sky and the first thing you do is order them to help you keep something open. Then thanks to you the person turns to stone you just sit there crying like a baby. Really just jump in and save some time . Still can understand his feelings, but wasn't big on listening to him.

Well glad Ishu managed to survive it all. Though perhaps surving is a bit of a cruel fate for her. Considering how many people she's lost along the way. That boyfriend, Nakiami, and Raigyo. Sure you may not call Nakiami dead, but she isn't coming back in their lifetime. Still her crew is growing and will live pretty good lives I'd expect.

Interesting with Haru going forward as a teacher. Though still a sub have to believe she'll be fine getting a more permanent solution. Clearly no one respects the sub with the girl badly concealing laughter and the stupid question about whether Haru has a boyfriend. Sorry bud, but there is no chance for you . Good that patience paid off with Akiyuki finally making his arrival. Some years lost along the way, but better than them both being dead. Kind of expected a bit more dramatic moment. Suppose I could watch the earlier episode where he nearly jumped to his death for that kind of thing.

Heck even Nazuna woke up. Suppose after sleeping for nearly the entire series it was good for her to get up.

Definitely think there are things the series could have done better. But at least it had some good points along the way.

[Twisted Reality]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

Actually, thanks to an ongoing discussion in another thread, I can now quite confidently claim that Miyazaki was channelling Albert Camus when he drew the final chapters of Nausicaa:

This is what Camus had to say about the nihilism:

That is . . . a rather highly specific source of influence. I think it's more accurate to say that Miyazaki had a wide range of influences. He is as much a writer as he is an animator. So it wouldn't surprise me if he picked up a pretty liberal education.

So I don't think it's entirely accurate to say that Miyazaki was shaped singly by one person. I'm well aware of the story of Sisyphus and it is a commonly used metaphor for existentialists (although Camus apparently denies being one).

Existentialism and "deep writing" tend to inevitably end up together, so I don't find it particularly odd that it's come up in this instance.

What I'm trying to drive at is that, a core issue towards the climax, insofar as I care to judge, was that the past traditions and legacies were stagnating. They were held sacred for no good reason at all. I can see where "Absurdism" fits in, but I was thinking more close to Nietzche, who viewed Christianity of his day as a death cult. I'm not claiming that these are core influences, but it's still an unavoidable influence nonetheless.

Now, compare the above to Akiyuki's reaction when he learnt about the "truth" of the Quickening Chamber:

I dare say that Xamdou's writers were trying to portray the value of that "struggle" which Akiyuki spoke of but, somehow, they just couldn't handle it — they didn't fully appreciate the tragic irony of the human condition as expressed by Camus and Miyazaki, so they opted for the flawed but easier-to-understand sacrifice that Nakiami undertook instead.

That's a bit of an oversimplification. Bones is really fascinated with the theme of war, or more precisely, its impact on the personal human narrative. I think it has to do with the fact that they're Japanese -- keeping a friendly distance from other nations while avoiding war is now their preferred policy. You can see this clearly in Ghost in the Shell: SAC2, where the bad guy is trying to build an imperialistic Japan while the good guys are fighting for an independent Japan. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the meditations on the internal conflict that war brings, but this is one of those pet themes that Bones writes so often that it's bound to fail eventually. Authors have their pet themes they love, so there's a definite limit on how creative they can be.

Again, you are referring to existentialist themes, but I'm going so far as to characterize Nausicaa as a struggle against oppressive relics and traditions of a bygone age and a ludicrously insubstantial, even bigoted, ideal which is the source of much conflict in the setting, if only by virtue of having seeped into the culture. Remember, the humans that currently lived in the "corrupt" world were going to be exterminated so that the "pure" strain could replace them. (Which is very Fallout.)

It is a rejection of these ideological "mummies" that allows the characters to move on with their lives. Xam'd doesn't even bother to set up the oppressive government as a believable or stagnant enemy, so borrowing themes kind of falls flat here.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

Those who've read Miyazaki's manga would know what I mean. Watching Ep26, I couldn't help wincing at how badly Xamdou's writers misunderstand the very concepts that they are trying to portray. And that detracts tremendously from my viewing pleasure. Ultimately, Xamdou's story makes very little sense, in terms of character motivations and plot development

I know what you mean there, and i also would have liked some explaining, though i'm used to this show not explaining the facts like that, so i was pretty much fine without that.

Originally Posted by Twisted Reality

It's just that you're taking the extra step to imply that were just so stupid for not anticipating it..

No i'm not calling anyone stupid. There is no need at all to start placing words in my mouth.

I'm sorry if what i said didn't play well with people, though from my view it just looked like people where hoping for more explanation on some aspects, though with this shows track record in that department, it was very un-likely that we'd get that.

[fict_ticious]

Hmmm, kind of have mixed feelings about the end of it. Kinda like how I felt about the end of Darker than Black - it just didn't have the impact I was expecting. Also, quite a bit was left up in the air. Oh well, I guess we'll know in a thousand years :V

Still, the series gets some points from the usual great animation from BONES. Even more for the "What they are doing now" end which I am a sucker for.

BTW, can anyone clarify: I heard this thing is getting another season. Is that true?

[-Nyu-]

Well, after watching the last episode yesterday I feel the need to express my disappointment. I was well aware, that though this show showed similarities to my beloved Eureka Seven it just wouldn't be the same.
I don't want to repeat now, what others said about the inconsistent plot or the ending. I just question myself, why the plotwriters couldn't come up with something different. What especialy displeased me, was the very end and Akiyuki's ressurection. No word why he turned to stone, no word why he suddenly lived again. If it was for unanswered questions I could make a long long list.

In short - the biggest disappointment for me in the 2008 anime season (after that the a bit unlucky ending of Macross Frontier).

[Matrim]

I like action when it's done well. I like happy endings, especially when they are well deserved. Xamdou succeeds extremely well in the animation, action and music departments, but when it comes to its story, it falls completely flat

So true. I know it would have helped if I had marathoned the episodes or read this thread more but even though I watched the last ten or so in about a week, I still had almost no clue why the war was waging and especially about the motivation of the majority of the cast.

Yes, I know various characters "tell" us the "why" throughout the show. But that in itself is a fatal sin — a good writer is supposed to show why any given event or action matters to the characters and plot. To engage and maintain an audience's interest, a writer needs to tell less, show more. He needs to avoid toying his audience with vague, mystical references that only confuse instead of shedding light.

There has been far too much exposition in Xamdou that viewers simply have to take at face value; far too many contrived explanations that leave audiences more perplexed than convinced.

Very much agreed.

It's not that I hate the show, I am not even much of a fan of BONES, so it was definitely not a case of impossibly high expectations, it just could have been so much more with more consistent writing. It felt as if one writer wrote an episode, another one wrote the next - which in itself is not bad and I believe it's very common, but this next writer didn't seem to care about what the first one had writen, put his own ideas in the episode without bothering about consistency. And then first writer returns and effectively nullifies what second guy has done. For example in the end - on the one hand we have well executed glorious sacrifices, on another

Spoiler for ep.26:

Ishu and possibly Akiyuki

return alive and kicking with no explanation whatsoever, not even a handwave. Usually I would say that things will surely make more sense after a rewatch but in this case I am actually afraid they might make even less sense.

[Nosauz]

hey I completely agree, the build up of the story leaves the impression that there is some sort of over looming flaw with the current society, but as things build toward this anti climatic end, those ideas never fully develop. On one hand I can understand why somethings don't get developed, usually this is due to budget, but I think bones definitely made the mistake of making this series only 26 episodes. It felt like at the beginning of the show as we watched we striving for something but once we hit the later ideas the writers seemed to have lost focus. The idea many have already talked about is not fleshed out at all, but I still don't fault bones for making a mediocre product, considering choices such as akikan and what not. It's character designs where fairly originally, the animation was great as usual, and a great ost made the show watchable. I'm not saying that its forgivable to create meaningless dialogue and leave plots unfleshed but then again I rarely put each anime I watch on a pedestal. Bones wanted xamdou to be an epic tail and it fell flat but it sure as hell doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the soundtrack. Looking back on this expierence the end really was a let down, but truly to build those ideas, very few anime have the vision or the budget.

The idea that japanesse have a different view on war is quite absurd, through history we see this long history of conflict, it really doesn't matter what type of person you are, what country you come from, conflict is part of history, our nature. Each individual has a different philosophy about conflict but in this series there is no clear philosophy no tangible portrayal of conflict. We know we have the southern and northern forces but why does this manifestation of conflict occur, we know the northerners uses "humanforms" but still whoever wrote this portion of the story never truly reveals the roles of sannova and the two countries. This loss of identity in the conflict, the actual purpose of the conflict is then pushed onto the hiruken emperor that is revealed only much latter in series which doesn't leave time to flesh out why these things occur which ultimately leave the series feeling flat and very one dimensional. It felt like climbing up a large mountain only to reach a plateau where there was no fall and no climax.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Twisted Reality

That is . . . a rather highly specific source of influence. I think it's more accurate to say that Miyazaki had a wide range of influences. He is as much a writer as he is an animator. So it wouldn't surprise me if he picked up a pretty liberal education.

So I don't think it's entirely accurate to say that Miyazaki was shaped singly by one person. I'm well aware of the story of Sisyphus and it is a commonly used metaphor for existentialists (although Camus apparently denies being one).

I didn't claim that Camus had been Miyazaki sole influence, and I'm pretty sure that he did indeed draw from several inspirations. Among other things, Miyazaki is known to be a closet Communist, so it wouldn't be hard to guess which other writers and thinkers he may have read.

What I'm trying to drive at is that, a core issue towards the climax, insofar as I care to judge, was that the past traditions and legacies were stagnating. They were held sacred for no good reason at all. I can see where "Absurdism" fits in, but I was thinking more close to Nietzche, who viewed Christianity of his day as a death cult. I'm not claiming that these are core influences, but it's still an unavoidable influence nonetheless.

You're not wrong. Camus' "struggle" wasn't the only thing in Miyazaki's mind as Nausicaa approached its conclusion (and in any case, I think he was actually more inspired by the Japanese spirit of gaman rather than the "absurd"). And, it's extremely interesting that you've pointed out the idea of Christianity of being a "death cult". If you have a copy of the manga, read the final few chapters again, the part where Nausicaa was brought into the Garden of the Crypt.

Spoiler for Nausicaa the manga:

I'm hazarding a guess that the Garden is meant to represent Eden, which Nausicaa rejects as being a false promise. While it's highly likely I've over-interpreted that scene, I do think it's an interesting perspective to ponder.

Bones is really fascinated with the theme of war, or more precisely, its impact on the personal human narrative... Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the meditations on the internal conflict that war brings, but this is one of those pet themes that Bones writes so often that it's bound to fail eventually. Authors have their pet themes they love, so there's a definite limit on how creative they can be.

Yes indeed, and it's is a great shame. Because I do believe that the Bones had great ingredients to start with, but somewhere along the line, it dropped the bowl and ruined the broth.

To me, it seems that the creators wanted to point out that even if friends, family and loved ones get separated by war and death, they can still stay connected through their emotions, their hiruko, their souls — their tamashi. Hence the letters motiff, hence the idea behind Haru and Akiyuki's relationship and hence, most importantly, Nakiami's final decision (influenced strongly by her memories of the Zanbani crew).

It's a different perspective on how to deal with mortality — versus Miyazaki's concept of struggle — set against the backdrop of a world war and a doomsday event. But:

Xam'd doesn't even bother to set up the oppressive government as a believable or stagnant enemy, so borrowing themes kind of falls flat here.

...and that is where Xamdou failed. The writers had a promising premise to begin with but, in the end, they failed to live up to that promise. It's a great pity.

=========

Originally Posted by -Nyu-

What especialy displeased me, was the very end and Akiyuki's ressurection. No word why he turned to stone, no word why he suddenly lived again.

Ironically enough, I can help answer that question, based on my interpretation of the final episode.

Spoiler for Episode 26:

Immediately after Akiyuki gave the Emperor his name, he forgot his identity, as the Emperor had warned. Notice how the scene then turned grey? The masked Akiyuki was roaming around Sentan Island, trying once again to remember who he was and what he was doing there. He recalled getting lost in a strange town, and growing anxious. Not because he couldn't remember the way home, but because "the town didn't know" him.

But suddenly, a familiar voice brought colour back into his world. It was Nakiami, telling him to stop crying. "If you cry, you'll never find your way (back)," she said.

Two possibilities:
(1)
Akiyuki's soul spent nine years wandering that grey inner world, that alternate Sentan Island trapped in time (in one scene, the townsfolk were literally frozen in time).

(2)
During that time, Nakiami's soul, which now reached across world after her martyrdom, eventually found the lost boy. By finding him, Nakiami helped Akiyuki to finally find his way back. She literally told him to wait there until he finally hears someone call his name.

That someone was Haru. She never gave up on her hope for Akiyuki's return. And thus, he finally did.

=========

Originally Posted by Nosauz

On one hand I can understand why somethings don't get developed, usually this is due to budget, but I think bones definitely made the mistake of making this series only 26 episodes.

I'd say this again: the length of a series is a weak excuse for poor editing. If you know you have a lot to say, but not enough time to say everything you want, then you need to learn how to prioritise. You need to decide which parts of the plot to trim, which characters to drop, and which themes to leave on the shelf. If other shows can flesh out entire universes in 12 or 13 episodes, why couldn't Bones do the same for Xamdou with 26?

The number of episodes available to a show is not a limitation. The only limitation is the writer's talent: Is he creative and disciplined enough to find a way around his given constraints? That is the challenge of good storytelling.

[Nosauz]

The number of episodes available to a show is not a limitation. The only limitation is the writer's talent: Is he creative and disciplined enough to find a way around his given constraints? That is the challenge of good storytelling.

by no means am i saying 26 episodes is not enough, I'm just saying that is what it is. Your exactly right about time not being a limitation, but what I'm saying is that the group that did xam'd had such great potential that I believe that if they were to have more time that they could have possibly delivered the series we were all hoping for. My main point of my comment was talking about how lackluster the story telling was, and how lame the exposition was delivered. If you have a medium such as anime/video exposition can be given in a way with action, because action speaks louder than words. And again I want to point out that there was really a lot of wasted potential, especially when everything else was so good. Maybe thats why I feel somewhat betrayed, because if everything else was of lower quality I don't think I would have minded the story being so lackluster. I was by no means excusing the writers of xam'd because they "only" had 26 episodes, I'm admonishing them because they royally screwed up a great premise, and squandered so many great parts that so many other anime lack.

[Tiberium Wolf]

Spoiler for episode 26:

I dont get it why Nakiami sacrificed herself... didn't see that coming.

[BigGimp77]

Ok I'm glad that I'm not the only one who seems to think that the story is poorly put together.

I'm usually good at understanding a 'deep' story line, but throughout the series I just kept seem to be getting lost. I thought maybe the point of the story went over my head or else it just had to be poor writing.

There are just too many times I was asking myself "Why is this happening" with no answers at all.

IDK I don't wan't this to turn into a rant. The more I try to understand the story line the more questions I get.

I had a weird feeling at the begining of the series because the storyline seemed to be progressing in an odd fashion.

I enjoy the series much more when I take it for what it was: eye candy. And What beautiful eye candy it was The BGM and voice acting was very well done.

I'd make the excuse that given more episodes they could have filled in missing plot holes because it obvious the story could use a little more explaining. . However, I agree with an above poster: when writing an original story for an anime, you should already know ahead of time how many episodes you have to work with your story.

I think its a little different when you take manga material and have to cram it into too a set number ofepisodes then when you write anime-original where you should know ahead of how much time you have to tell the story.


Random note: Messy haired Nakiami is hot. (is that wierd to say? lol) Might be my favorite 'wierd girl character' in an anime series lol.

Spoiler for For Size:

Also for another above poster. Don't be afraid to check out Eureka 7. They have some similarities like "Boy gets stuck on a giant flying ship with a weird girl, some annoying kids, and a stubborn captain." But it really does end there. Eureka 7 wasn't great but it was defiantly very good and worth the watch. Eureka 7's story is muuuuch better then Xamd's

[Kokoru Asami]

Yes i must agree although it has an air of similarity to E7 in the beginning thats about it. Speaking of which who here found E7 to be a master piece or close to it?...just wondering.

[Twisted Reality]

Originally Posted by Kokoru Asami

Yes i must agree although it has an air of similarity to E7 in the beginning thats about it. Speaking of which who here found E7 to be a master piece or close to it?...just wondering.

I don't regard Eureka Seven as a masterpiece since it suffers from some of the same problems as Xam'd. It just suffers from far fewer of those same kinds of problems. Eureka Seven deserves accolades for how ambitious it is, but it still doesn't come up on my top ten. Bones really needs to learn that there's a difference between being minimalistic and being pseudo-artistic flakes. They tend to wander into the latter territory more often than I would like.

My personal favorite segment from the show was the showdown between Ray+Charles versus Holland. A personal feud stacked with tragedy happening concurrently at the cusp of the romantic pay-off between Eureka and Renton. Plus, you know . . . jumping out of your vehicle for a free fall scene in the middle of an airship battle should be done for the sheer inherent awesomeness. You'd be morally obligated to do it.

Everything after that point never quite managed to capture the vision of the show as fully. And the execution was generally varied up until the nonsensical and excessively saccharine happy ending.

The ending was still a non-sequitur since I'm still not exactly how the climax tied into the themes they were setting up. Or for that matter, why the Coralians even mattered if they could always have chosen to *poof* into a parallel universe on a whim. Anemone and Dewey just didn't get enough attention, which is bad when you're setting them up to be the main villains.

Spoiler for Meh:

Also, they were on Earth the whole time. Which was just stupid. What does *that* add?

[Twisted Reality]

Originally Posted by BigGimp77

Random note: Messy haired Nakiami is hot. (is that wierd to say? lol) Might be my favorite 'wierd girl character' in an anime series lol.

Spoiler for For Size:

Pshaw.

Nakiami isn't weird. She's just unusually mature and assertive for her age. So if anything, your tastes are predictable and your attraction inevitable.

[BetoJR]

Originally Posted by Twisted Reality

Nakiami isn't weird. She's just unusually mature and assertive for her age. So if anything, your tastes are predictable and your attraction inevitable.

If we go by the one scene in th final episode, Nakiami is quite older than Akiyuki and Haru, for one. Maybe that was just in his head, but what if it wasn't?

Anyway, I'm quite fond of how this series ended. The mysteries remain and I don't really mind them much. The final scene between Akiyuki and Haru had me literally shedding a single tear. Not many series do that. So, I'm glad I stuck with it 'till the end.

[zalem]

Finally got around to watching the last episode. Basically, it was a decent ending for this series. Did it resolve the tons of questions we have? No, unfortunately. But I have to agree with Shiroth to a degree on this point...with one episode left did we seriously think they were going to resolve things? When you consider the series as a whole and how it progressed, it doesn't make sense to expect that. But I can't blame anyone for wishing for explanations. When you put time in to watch a series, you hope for something (even just a few answers) to satisfy all those questions and it's frustrating to be left hanging. However, we just have to accept it for what it is. While I'm not happy that they left so much unexplained, the series was fun to watch and I don't regret spending time on it. It'll never be a favorite of mine though, too many flaws.

Spoiler for ep 26:

I'm not sure what I think of the end. Part of me thinks that cause Roppa seemed to respond that Akiyuki is alive. Nakiami did tell him to wait and that someone would call his name. So perhaps this is him waking up...it just took a while to happen. He seemed to be looking at his hands as if he was surprised to be there. The only problem I have with this is that he entirely turned to stone. As far as we know from the series, when you turn to stone you die. You can't come back. The process of turning to stone can be halted if it's just begun, but once you've completely turned to stone you can go back. So it doesn't really make sense for Akiyuki to be able to turn back. Nothing in the series has hinted that it's possible. What makes Akiyuki special that he can do such a thing? So that points to it being a spirit rather than a living Akiyuki. Then again, considering this series and it's lack of explanations I wouldn't be surprised if he was alive and they just didn't bother to explain how it was possible. Meh, I think I'll just interpret him as being alive because of Nakiami's words.