Amagami SS - Arc Comparison/Discussion

[Kanon]

Guess it's a good time to bump this thread. For me so far:

Ai's arc > Kaoru's arc = Haruka's arc >>>>> Sae's arc

Incidentally, that's how I would rank the characters as well. It's no coincidence, my liking for a particular girl obviously influcences my enjoyment of her arc. Even so, I think the storytelling in Ai's arc was a bit more solid than in the others. The progression felt more natural and there were less "odd" moments, even if the arc was completely devoid of it. I'm a bit saddened the kiss fetish has disappeared after Kaoru's arc though, it used to be something fun to look forward to.

As for Rihoko's arc, I have a feeling it'll rank just below Ai's.

[Shiroth]

I'd still have to rank Haruka's arc as number 1, with Kaoru's following second. Ai's was good, though there were quite a lot of sloppy scenes, making the pacing pretty bad. Guess it doesn't help that i was comparing it to Love Goes On, which is superior in every way. It's just that you don't hear Yukana while reading.

Rihoko's should be good going by what i've read about her arc. It'll be my favorite arc for one reason though. :3

[Pellissier]

Ai's arc gets first place for me too. Not much because of the whole arc per se I guess, but because of the girl, her personality. Also episode 15 was a good portrayal of what being 2 young lovers means, in a very soft and warm tune.

2nd is Kaoru, 3rd is Haruka, 4th is Sae. But except Sae's, I'd say the arcs so far are all very close between them in a "generic evaluation" point of view, thus coming down to personal preferences towards a girl rather than another.

[Mairsile]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Ai's arc > Kaoru's arc = Haruka's arc >>>>> Sae's arc

Incidentally, that's how I would rank the characters as well.

As for Rihoko's arc, I have a feeling it'll rank just below Ai's.

That's pretty much how I see it as well, in terms of arcs and girls.

The top 3 arcs were close, but I had to give the edge to Ai because they hit it off so well and, despite missing a number of great scenes from Love Goes On, the story offered a lot of insight into Ai's life and personality. Something that stood out for me is that with the other arcs, the girls focused almost entirely on Junichi whereas Ai showed a lot of concern to others as well - wanting to make her brother happy, giving the toy belt to the kids in the park, and offering a fresh bowl to the kids at the festival.

Sae's arc wasn't that convincing because it didn't really give me an impression that there was a relationship. It lacked sparks and was more or less Junichi thinking she was cute and coming up with creative ways to undress her as he worked to remedy her severe case of shyness.

[wingman32x]

My ranking goes:

1: Haruka and Ai
3: Kaoru
4: Sae.

Ai's arc was good, but it couldn't take sole possession of number 1 IMO. I really liked Haruka's arc and her character. Kaoru's arc was decent, and she's a fun character, but there are better arcs in the series. Sai's arc.... well, let's just say that I didn't like it.

In terms of the characters themselves though, it goes:

1: Ai
2:Haruka & Kaoru
4: Sae

[DragoZERO]

Haruka's is still number one to me. I guess I just like the guy chasing after the girl better.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by DragoZERO

Haruka's is still number one to me. I guess I just like the guy chasing after the girl better.

I just found her arc to be the most fun overall, plus it does help that Haruka as a character was the most refreshing out of the lot.

[wingman32x]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

I just found her arc to be the most fun overall, plus it does help that Haruka as a character was the most refreshing out of the lot.

Yep, that's why Ai has to share her spot with Haruka in my rankings.

Haruka's just a really fun character. I always like the bizare/eccentric characters in manga/anime.

[Mairsile]

Originally Posted by nogamo

I did not enjoy the straightforwardness of the encounter and the dialog in certain places. For instance, when Tachibana is found sneaking into the girls swim team practice he goes through this weird encounter with every other member of the team where he expresses his, well, fascination with Ai's chest (as an apology for earlier). I just couldn't take this arc seriously after that, because in my opinion this entire relationship relied on that fact alone: physical attraction. I'm not begging for drama, but I come to expect a degree of it in any romance series. Kaoru, in my opinion, was excellent in this category.

Another thing that bugged me--and this may just be Japanese culture--but despite being a couple, the younger partner always refers to the other as senpai. They didn't feel like a real couple because only one called by the other by their name, and I thought that if two are in love that maybe they would call each other's name like "Ai-chan" and "Junichi" instead of "Ai-chan" and "Senpai."

Kaoru > Sae > Morishima > Ai

If that's the case, I'm even more baffled by you ranking Sae's arc ahead of Ai's.

Looks obviously played a part in Junichi's attraction to Haruka, Ai and Sae, and it clearly was not a factor with Kaoru because of their friend-to-lover relationship. In Sae's arc, the first 10 seconds has him commenting on her being cute and having awesome boobs. Let's not forget about his imaginative training methods. First, he has her take off her P.E. pants to reveal her bloomers and then change into a swimsuit during "agility" training. For the mock interview, he has her wear a bikini and passes out after gawking at her boobs and body. If that wasn't enough, his next session has her standing on the roof when the wind is blowing hard so he can get a glimpse at her panties. During the Best Couple competition, Junichi says he likes her because: "She looks and acts really cute!" When Sae apologizes for losing to Haruka in terms of looks, Junichi comforts her by saying Sae is much cuter. When Junichi's face turns red, he tells Sae its because: "Your clothes made me feel a little hot." Finally, as she bends over to get a closer look to see if the director and actress were there, Junichi is seen gazing at her butt. I think its pretty clear what Junichi saw in Sae.

In terms of drama, Kaoru's certainly had the most since they were transitioning from friends to lovers as well as the fact she was dealing with her mother seeking a new relationship. Haruka's arc didn't have much drama from my point of view outside of the bath scene when he was asked why he did not peak on her. And with Ai, the anime unfortunately left out a lot of the drama she experienced due to her swimming performance but it was still there to some degree. The only drama with Sae's arc is when Junichi recalled his past and contemplates about telling her his feelings.

About Ai's arc being too straightforward, that's what happens when two people just hit it off. I think one of the things that brought them together was that they both are very considerate about helping others. That part of her rubbed off on Junichi when he began picking up trash he saw on the ground.

Regarding the names, yes, it is cultural. You also have to realize that the arcs cover a time span of perhaps a few weeks since they begin when students are preparing for the Founder's Festival and end on Christmas, the day of the festival. You typically address someone by their last name or status, such as senpai, if you do not know the person all that well. But even in Sae's arc, Junichi calls her "Sae-chan" but she still referred to him as "Senpai." The only ones to call Junichi by his first name would be Kaoru and Rihoko since they were friends of his for years.

[DragoZERO]

What I didn't like was all of the swimming club and festival stuff stole time away from Ai being herself. It would have been so much better if we had her tease him more and stuff.

[nogamo]

You're right.

In reality, Kaoru is the only one whose arc actually seemed enjoyable, so the other three are really equal for me in terms of story. I just don't want to be made to look like a biased fanboy or anything by only choosing Kaoru, but for the genre of the show her arc is the only one I am confident fits the bill. The others, not so much. While many other romance shows probably use the straightforward relationship, I felt that it was boring and unimaginative. Now that this arc is over, I'll be looking forward to Rihoko's part since like Kaoru she has known Junichi for a while now.

Don't get me wrong, new people (as in those who don't already know of the lead guy) in romances aren't bad, I just don't think 4 episodes is quite enough to piece together a relationship. That might be my ultimate gripe with the show, but I can understand the approach when taking money and manpower into consideration.

[hero147]

I really like Ai as a character, so I would have to say I really liked her arc. I love all the arcs except for Sae's mainly because I can't stand her character and her voice just sealed the deal for me skipping her arc entirely after the first episode. In terms of favourites, Kaoru and Ai>Haruka>Sae. Though this is extremely opinionated and probably inaccurate, given that I skipped Sae's arc.

[Used Can]

The problem is that, Amagami, whilst it falling under the romance genre, it's also a comedy. In fact, if you could summarise Amagami in 3 words I think they would be: Romance, Teasing and Fun. So, I'd say, so far, the arc which actually doesn't "fit the bill" would be Kaoru's, since it was the least funny arc, due to the drama with Kaoru's mother. Not only that, but Kaoru's personality, in her own arc, was barely even delivered, since she's seriously a big tease. In the game, she starts some serious naughty kisses with Junichi. However, that was barely even portrayed. In fact, I think I can say it wasn't portrayed at all. That, and her anime arc ended up focusing on the drama only.

Of course, if what you want is drama, then Kaoru's arc will probably be the best, since most of the other arcs lack any type of drama. However, I simply cannot expect or even want drama from Amagami. I guess this is why Kaoru's arc is the one I liked the least. It was just plainly boring; even Kaoru wasn't as fun as she's been in other arcs, which made it even worse for me.

If I had to rank the arcs so far, I'd have to put Haruka's at the top, since it fits all the requirements for Amagami, in my opinion. It was fun, there was enough teasing and the development was rather good (it's pacing was rather decent, if you ask me). Second would be Ai's, it was rather fun, it's been, as of now, the best arc when it comes down to teasing, but I think it could have been a lot better when it comes down to development. Third would be Sae's, mostly because I didn't expect too much, but the arc, in general, played out well, especially with George Nakata's narration. For me, that was a plus. I had a lot of fun with that arc. Kaoru's arc... too much drama. Whilst I'd take some drama in Amagami, there was just too much of it on that arc. So, "no, thank you" is all I can say.

But well, comparisons aside, something else I liked from this last episode is that they (sort of) introduced the members from the tea club, who, I suppose, we'll be seeing a lot in Rihoko's arc - considering she's part of that club. They seem like a nice bunch. So, I guess it'll be fun.

[grandchaosSR]

Haruka > Kaoru > Ai > Sae

Ai's arc is littered with scenes that takes too much time away from the main story. Examples(mummy-ramen dream scene, dialogue between ai and rihoko's friends at the festival, drunken Takahashi-sensei) Even though I enjoyed watching those scenes the writers could've used those precious minutes to unravel the budding relationship between Ai and Junichi.

So what is the effect of putting too much filler? Answer: The important dramatic scenes looks forced/unnatural. Example: Pool chase scene. On the other hand, Haruka and Kaoru's arc are very stable. They were able to balance character introduction, fillers and main story. Their stories were told in detail and the build up was enough for the arc's climax...

Even if I gave somewhat a negative critique, I enjoy watching Ai's arc and have replayed it several times already. Its just that I had too much expectation for Ai's arc since she is the #1 fave girl based on the gamers' perspective.

[wingman32x]

Originally Posted by grandchaosSR

Even if I gave somewhat a negative critique, I enjoy watching Ai's arc and have replayed it several times already. Its just that I had too much expectation for Ai's arc since she is the #1 fave girl based on the gamers' perspective.

All the polls I've seen have been character polls, not polls ranking the arcs. Unless you're talking about an arc/story poll. Ai's anime arc is a case where the character herself outshines the arc she was put in. I think Ai is an amazing character, and by far my favorite Amagami girl, with Haruka at a distant second. But yes, I agree that her arc wasn't executed too well due to the filler scenes. So yeah, I'm kind of bummed that the anime didn't do the character justice.

[DragoZERO]

So far, only Haruka and Kaoru's arc did them justice. Sae is a great awesome, incredibly cute, but they totally ruined it with Junichi's behavior and all. Ai's time was stolen by other stuff, like the tea club in the final episode but she still had enough time to shine.

Arc:
Haruka > Kaoru > Ai > Sae

Girls:
Haruka > Ai > Sae > Kaoru

[grandchaosSR]

Originally Posted by DragoZERO

So far, only Haruka and Kaoru's arc did them justice. Sae is a great awesome, incredibly cute, but they totally ruined it with Junichi's behavior and all. Ai's time was stolen by other stuff, like the tea club in the final episode but she still had enough time to shine.

Arc:
Haruka > Kaoru > Ai > Sae

Girls:
Haruka > Ai > Sae > Kaoru

I think the reason why they messed up Ai's arc is because they don't want her arc to outshine Tsukasa's arc. Its already hard to out do what they did to Haruka and Kaoru's arc so the writers are taking a back seat for a while until the final episode where we will get all the good stuff. I won't be surprised if they mess up Rihoko's arc but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[DragoZERO]

Originally Posted by grandchaosSR

I think the reason why they messed up Ai's arc is because they don't want her arc to outshine Tsukasa's arc. Its already hard to out do what they did to Haruka and Kaoru's arc so the writers are taking a back seat for a while until the final episode where we will get all the good stuff. I won't be surprised if they mess up Rihoko's arc but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I highly doubt that is what they are doing. It's like shooting themselves in the foot.

[justavisitor]

I don't think Ai's arc is that bad...

if I have to rate the arc it will be

Haruka>Ai>Sae>>Kaoru

Sae's arc was pretty good, but I just don't like the animal cosplay at the end......should have stopped at the christmas tree scene (never played the game, so I don't know whether the animal cosplay at the end is a must??)

[liquidmetal]

Finding how much I liked each arc based on Junichi's actions and because of that have to say I least enjoyed Sae's arc through no fault of her own