AnimeSuki Forums

Ned Fletcher · 2007-06-25, 04:32

Quote:

EDIT: Wow. A gutter-voting silent troll aside, I'm the lowest voter of this episode.

I may be gutter-voting, and fairly silent, but a troll I am not! For you see, I do not live under a bridge, and ask people three questions so that they can cross said bridge. If you actually care to read my rant as to why I found this episode "painful" feel free, but I'm sure many would just find it a annoying rant. I put it inside of spoilers so those who want can just skip it.

Spoiler for Reasons:

I gave this episode such a bad rating because it was where everything that I thought was bad and did not like was put together with even more stuff added in.

The personal way I saw the events is in this order,

When Aono was about to leave to be the sacrifice to the Yaka she did not seem too upset, her reasons being because she would be saving people.
When she wasn't sacrificed and then found out that Yorito died, she would have put blame on herself thinking that if only she had been sacrificed this would not have happened.
She committed suicide to avoid the pain of losing Yorito, and Matsuri brought her back to life so that Matsuri would not be lonely.
Aono had to live without Yorito, which seemed to be her entire reason for existing. So she then spent all that time re-creating Yorito so she could be with him again.
While she was in the hospital, most likely recovering from her creation of Yorito, creation of memories, and all of their belongs, Matsuri comes along and imposes her self in their lives again.
Matsuri tries to steal Yorito, so that he would be with her and she would not be alone. Aono tells Matsuri not to interfere and she leaves only to apear again, against the promise. Aono hunts her down and decides NOT to kill her.
Matsuri then trains with Takeshi's sword and tells Yorito what he really is.
Mana, Koyori, and everyone else Yorito and Aono knew in that town lose their memories of them. Matsuri then tells Aono that Yorito, the brother that she loves and dedicated her life to bringing to life is with Matsuri now.
The battle between Matsuri and Aono begins, the battle was fairly one sided with Aono winning and Matsuri looking week, which after the training she had done with Takeshi's sword should not have been so one sided. Eventually Yorito interfered which enabled Matsuri to do what she was planning, which looks like she is turning Aono into a human due to the fact she stabbed herself first thus fulfulling the whole "Kill a Yaka to make another Human again".

Now my seeming obsession with Aono is not the only reason as to why I did not like this episode, I thought that the amazing amount of power Aono showed in this episode was over the top. While I can understand her being powerful after spending a really long time trying to find a way to create bodies from scratch and bind memories/souls to them can give one experience and make one more skilled, the amount of stuff she did was absurd and out of place.

Also the drastic out of character actions of Yorito was very annoying, he finds his life pointless just because he is not made out of flesh? Does he not seem to notice that he can still see, feel, taste, touch, and smell? And that he has a soul and his own memories? I saw him as a rather optimistic person in the beginning of the series, and suddenly he was amazingly pessimistic and did not even try to logic it at all. Even Matsuri had some out of character things, like her going from just wanting to be left alone and not hurt really hurt anyone to suddenly wanting to hurt Aono, after Aono had decided to not kill Matsuri at the train station. I was not really bothered by Aono at all so far as "out of character" actions, as seeing she was pretty nuts the entire series.

As far as I could see, the most likely ending seemed to be Matsuri killing herself to make Aono human again, and in that Yorito would also disappear because Aono is no longer a Yaka. I found this extremely hypocritical of Matsuri, she resurrected Aono so that she would not be alone, and now she will be the cause of Aono being all alone without any way to resurrect the only thing that matters to her. This just seemed cruel without reason other than spite.

In retrospective I should not have rated the episode as badly as I did, the artwork is great, and despite the things above, I do like the series. I find Mayuko and Takeshi awesome, I really hope they are in the last episode. And naturally I like Koyori. I should have rated the episode at a four or so... but thats forcing myself.

I do apologize for my excessively low rating, I'm sure part of it came from as I was clicking to vote my PMs opened and that "getalife" guy messaged me the ending to Death Note... And being on a Anime forum. I'm sure to some extent you can understand why that would leave one distressed... Anywho, feel free to flame me in the PM system if you think I'm a jerk-face stupid-head.

arkxkra · 2007-06-25, 04:48

tis episode awesome...

Spoiler for 12:

felix · 2007-06-25, 05:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ascaloth

And my predictions for Episode 13?

Morimiya Aono is a regular girl. She lives in a large house (with her parents/alone, because her parents are away on business), and her hobbies include taking photos of the sky, and collecting weird dolls. She goes to school with her best friend Ishizuki Mana, and teaches the art of origami to the latter's imouto Koyori. We see some funny scenes, including the infamous Koyori head-chop for whatever reasons. As far as she knows, she's just a normal teenage girl; but she has no memories of who she was, nor of Yorito or Matsuri. And she's happy the way she is.

In the end, as the sun is setting, Aono returns home. In the distance, we see a young couple who looks strangely familiar......

We're talking about the same person who made Air and Kanon right? Then you have my vote...
The only question is what are they going to throw in for the first part of the episode.

~ Ned Fletcher

You have some good points and you also have some exaggerated points

~ I think for most people it's just a matter of weather or not you like the show (as in: presentation)

----
I too feel that at some point (for me it was when the Matsuri Vs. Aono plot started) the bonds between the characters just got scraped for the sake of dramatic plot ~ personally I would have loved to see less exiting plot and more character development. They could have just made Takeshi agent of secret organisation (no details) and just left it at that for the rest of the show, and I would have been happy.

Ascaloth · 2007-06-25, 05:39

@Ned Fletcher,

There, now if you had explained your views at the beginning, I would have merely thought of you as being harsh instead of terming you as a troll, and offered a lot more respect to you than I did. Like Cats said, you have some good points, and then you have some exaggerated points. And I actually do agree on some of these points, but like I said, you're just being harsh.

Personally, I don't agree with point 6; to me that's an oversimplification, and simply missing the point altogether. But otherwise, you make some pretty good points, and they're points that I even made, myself; truly, Sola suffers in the fact that it traded in its strength, character development, for some questionable plot development. Which is why I said that Sola needs a remake; and c'mon, who would disagree that KyoAni's colour palette would suit it well?

xat · 2007-06-25, 06:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ascaloth

Which is why I said that Sola needs a remake; and c'mon, who would disagree that KyoAni's colour palette would suit it well?

I wouldn't mind working on a remake...

Skyfall · 2007-06-25, 06:16

I pretty much agree with Ascaloth's predictions on ep13, and it pretty much goes with my own thoughts that ep12 is the climax, and 13 the aftermath. I wouldn't be surprised at all if at the beginning of ep13 we get some slice-of-life scene featuring Aono and friends

As for the show on the whole ... i can't help but feel rather distant to all the events happening. I still like it above anything else i am getting this season, but not nearly as much as i liked it in the beginning. If my memory serves me right, somewhere along the first episodes i mentioned that i feel the Matsuri x Yorito interactions are rather crucial to the show, and it would lose a good deal of its charm without it ... and this is what i basically see taking effect now.

Sola is a story that is rather dependent on its characters, and the most interesting part of it (Matsuri x Yorito) got taken away just past the halfway point. While the mystery and unpredictability of the plot is something i highly appreciate and enjoy, i can't help but feel it came at the expense of some character depth, because the mystery relied on us not knowing the details behind what makes the character tick.

That didn't matter much as long as we had the Matsuri x Yorito interactions, as those were very interesting, entertaining and overall likable. After that we were left with the bunch angsting in separate corners of the city for several episodes, for reasons not completely understandable to us.

While it isn't nearly as bad as my post might make it sound, it managed to accomplish one thing - degrade the bond i had with all of the characters. (Mana might be an exception).

Yes - i do love Matsuri, but my liking towards her is rooted heavily in the first half of the show. While it was painful seeing her get bashed around, it wasn't nearly as painful as it would have been in the earlier stages of the show.

I used to hate Aono with a passion and she surely hasn't done anything for my opinion to change, and i still think she needs a mental therapy asap... but in the end - hate is a strong emotion, and i don't feel like i care enough to be bothered with continuing to hate her.

Yorito ... still don't know what i think of him at this moment, so i am withholding any comments for now

As it is now, i find Takeshi and rozen-loli to be more interesting to observe

I am looking towards the ending very much, but i can already tell it is not going to have the emotional impact it had the potential of delivering. In the end, the series strong point appeared to be its weakest point as well - Matsuri's and Yorito's interactions. Perhaps only 13 episodes is not enough for it.

Cheers!
(Adding "Cheers" in the end as it seems to creep Ascaloth out).

Ascaloth · 2007-06-25, 06:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skyfall

Cheers!
(Adding "Cheers" in the end as it seems to creep Ascaloth out).

It does. This forum only needs one Skane-sama.

Thentus · 2007-06-25, 17:14

To simplify my thoughts, the ending of sola is either going to be one of the greatest endings ever, OR the entire series could fall apart right here. The plot has been changed and has surprised us throughout the series, I think.

Deathkillz · 2007-06-25, 18:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skyfall

I used to hate Aono with a passion and she surely hasn't done anything for my opinion to change, and i still think she needs a mental therapy asap... but in the end - hate is a strong emotion, and i don't feel like i care enough to be bothered with continuing to hate her.

Yorito ... still don't know what i think of him at this moment, so i am withholding any comments for now

As it is now, i find Takeshi and rozen-loli to be more interesting to observe

[/SIZE]

soon "dislike" will become love :3 come over to the light side sky! ^.^

as for yorito...if you think that takeshixmayuko is more interesting then it just goes to show what a boring yaro he is...and i agree...for a main character i seriously cant care less for yorito atm...he is as 2D as ever and nothing has been done to develop his character...a major flaw for this series imo >.<

Nemesis2124 · 2007-06-25, 18:21

I'm curious about something in this episode, and I haven't seen much posted about it either. I realize the ultimate goal was to provoke Aono, but when I first heard the conversation on the roof early on, I was under the impression that Matsuri's sentiments there were legitimate. I mean, it just seemed too verbose, heartfelt and thematically on-target to be only a ploy. But, after reading a few comments here and there, I'm not exactly sure anymore.

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts that may tilt my view one way or the other.

EDIT: @Deathkillz

I've always considered Yorito to be a neutral point more than anything. Not great, but not exactly a detriment either. Frankly though, I thought he was pretty good in 12. His defiance really increased my enjoyment of the episode.

Icerack · 2007-06-25, 19:24

Much like others, I've started to like Yorito and Matsuri less after they just spontaneously decided that they knew what was best for everyone. No doubt that this series should've been more than 13 episodes as everything just went by so fast and there wasn't enough time to develop the characters. My thoughts for next episode is that it'll be concentrated completely on the past resolving what happened then and tying up loose ends. Either that or we'll get the cliffhanger and will have ot wait for the DVDs.

johnishida · 2007-06-25, 20:01

Just watched the Ep! Cant believe everything happened just as I thought it would! Though, for a moment, I actually believed in Matsuri's in the beginning of the episode.

Can't wait for next week!

xat · 2007-06-26, 00:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

...for a main character i seriously cant care less for yorito atm...he is as 2D as ever and nothing has been done to develop his character...a major flaw for this series imo >.<

He's made out of paper after all.

Mirrinus · 2007-06-26, 00:13

It's pretty lame to be made out of paper if it doesn't afford you any special powers. And no, being flammable doesn't count.

For a guy that's made out of paper, I find it kinda funny how often he goes out into the rain. The extremely convenient rain summoned by the power of plot necessity.

kazune-kun · 2007-06-26, 01:29

Wow.. 9/10 the Matsuri vs Aono showdown scene was so good. (I take back what I said before.. Aono doesnt annoy me as much anymore. Her VA did a good job @ especially when she yelled, "You're the one who made things like this!") Her paper clones reminded me of kage bushin no jutsu

she should be in Naruto

dojikyo · 2007-06-26, 02:08

7. Kind of a step back from the previous episode on the drama front. That and Aono is overpowered. Multiple clones, clone bombs that lead into more setups. The action sequences, despite their flaws, continue to be pretty interesting.

niwasatou · 2007-06-26, 03:41

9/10
First of all, for Aono.
Second, for the flashback scenes, especially the one in the beginning. It was nice to see the three together and getting along (understatement!).
Third, the miracle movie of the sky suddenly starting to play.

The dramatic pause in movement aside from the clouds was clichéd but pulled off well nonetheless (IMO).

xat · 2007-06-26, 08:46

On a different note, I wonder how Takeshi/Mayuko will be managed. Takeshi is still ageing. I'd love to see perhaps a spin-off series/ova detailing the dynamics of their relationship as Takeshi approaches a possible end. In fact, I wouldn't mind a special that goes into Takeshi's conscience as he ages, starting from when Mayuko becomes a yaka.

Skyfall · 2007-06-26, 09:21

^ That might as well be one of the things we will get to see in one of the two DVD only episodes. Or we might see it in the last episode, if indeed turns out to be "X amount of time later".

zetsumei · 2007-06-26, 09:27

Wow, what an awesome episode; really well executed. Sola is definitely one of the top 5 anime of the season.

View Poll Results: sola - Episode 12 Rating
Perfect 10	37	42.05%
9 out of 10 : Excellent	30	34.09%
8 out of 10 : Very Good	9	10.23%
7 out of 10 : Good	7	7.95%
6 out of 10 : Average	1	1.14%
5 out of 10 : Below Average	0	0%
4 out of 10 : Poor	0	0%
3 out of 10 : Bad	0	0%
2 out of 10 : Very Bad	0	0%
1 out of 10 : Painful	4	4.55%
Voters: 88. You may not vote on this poll

2007-06-25, 04:48	Link #82
arkxkra 全力全開 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Non-management 97th world	tis episode awesome... Spoiler for 12: matsuri look like want to take yorito away in the begining, but in the end stab herself to trade life for aono....so pain when saw matsuri stab herself T_T... the sky is so beautiful during the climax.... donno next episode will how... __________________ \| Anime Series' Window XP/7 Theme \|

2007-06-25, 06:16	Link #86
Skyfall Lost in my dreams... Join Date: Jun 2006 Age: 37	I pretty much agree with Ascaloth's predictions on ep13, and it pretty much goes with my own thoughts that ep12 is the climax, and 13 the aftermath. I wouldn't be surprised at all if at the beginning of ep13 we get some slice-of-life scene featuring Aono and friends As for the show on the whole ... i can't help but feel rather distant to all the events happening. I still like it above anything else i am getting this season, but not nearly as much as i liked it in the beginning. If my memory serves me right, somewhere along the first episodes i mentioned that i feel the Matsuri x Yorito interactions are rather crucial to the show, and it would lose a good deal of its charm without it ... and this is what i basically see taking effect now. Sola is a story that is rather dependent on its characters, and the most interesting part of it (Matsuri x Yorito) got taken away just past the halfway point. While the mystery and unpredictability of the plot is something i highly appreciate and enjoy, i can't help but feel it came at the expense of some character depth, because the mystery relied on us not knowing the details behind what makes the character tick. That didn't matter much as long as we had the Matsuri x Yorito interactions, as those were very interesting, entertaining and overall likable. After that we were left with the bunch angsting in separate corners of the city for several episodes, for reasons not completely understandable to us. While it isn't nearly as bad as my post might make it sound, it managed to accomplish one thing - degrade the bond i had with all of the characters. (Mana might be an exception). Yes - i do love Matsuri, but my liking towards her is rooted heavily in the first half of the show. While it was painful seeing her get bashed around, it wasn't nearly as painful as it would have been in the earlier stages of the show. I used to hate Aono with a passion and she surely hasn't done anything for my opinion to change, and i still think she needs a mental therapy asap... but in the end - hate is a strong emotion, and i don't feel like i care enough to be bothered with continuing to hate her. Yorito ... still don't know what i think of him at this moment, so i am withholding any comments for now As it is now, i find Takeshi and rozen-loli to be more interesting to observe I am looking towards the ending very much, but i can already tell it is not going to have the emotional impact it had the potential of delivering. In the end, the series strong point appeared to be its weakest point as well - Matsuri's and Yorito's interactions. Perhaps only 13 episodes is not enough for it. Cheers! (Adding "Cheers" in the end as it seems to creep Ascaloth out). __________________

2007-06-25, 20:01	Link #92
johnishida Bishoujo Lover! Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Venezuela Age: 36	Just watched the Ep! Cant believe everything happened just as I thought it would! Though, for a moment, I actually believed in Matsuri's in the beginning of the episode. Can't wait for next week! __________________

2007-06-26, 01:29	Link #95
kazune-kun Member Join Date: Jun 2007	Wow.. 9/10 the Matsuri vs Aono showdown scene was so good. (I take back what I said before.. Aono doesnt annoy me as much anymore. Her VA did a good job @ especially when she yelled, "You're the one who made things like this!") Her paper clones reminded me of kage bushin no jutsu she should be in Naruto Last edited by kazune-kun; 2007-06-26 at 02:28.

2007-06-25, 05:39	Link #84
Ascaloth I don't give a damn, dude Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: In Despair Age: 37	@Ned Fletcher, There, now if you had explained your views at the beginning, I would have merely thought of you as being harsh instead of terming you as a troll, and offered a lot more respect to you than I did. Like Cats said, you have some good points, and then you have some exaggerated points. And I actually do agree on some of these points, but like I said, you're just being harsh. Personally, I don't agree with point 6; to me that's an oversimplification, and simply missing the point altogether. But otherwise, you make some pretty good points, and they're points that I even made, myself; truly, Sola suffers in the fact that it traded in its strength, character development, for some questionable plot development. Which is why I said that Sola needs a remake; and c'mon, who would disagree that KyoAni's colour palette would suit it well?

2007-06-25, 17:14	Link #88
Thentus Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Might as well waste five seconds of your life; Pennsylvania Age: 30	To simplify my thoughts, the ending of sola is either going to be one of the greatest endings ever, OR the entire series could fall apart right here. The plot has been changed and has surprised us throughout the series, I think.

2007-06-25, 18:21	Link #90
Nemesis2124 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003	I'm curious about something in this episode, and I haven't seen much posted about it either. I realize the ultimate goal was to provoke Aono, but when I first heard the conversation on the roof early on, I was under the impression that Matsuri's sentiments there were legitimate. I mean, it just seemed too verbose, heartfelt and thematically on-target to be only a ploy. But, after reading a few comments here and there, I'm not exactly sure anymore. Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts that may tilt my view one way or the other. EDIT: @Deathkillz I've always considered Yorito to be a neutral point more than anything. Not great, but not exactly a detriment either. Frankly though, I thought he was pretty good in 12. His defiance really increased my enjoyment of the episode.

2007-06-25, 19:24	Link #91
Icerack Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Canada	Much like others, I've started to like Yorito and Matsuri less after they just spontaneously decided that they knew what was best for everyone. No doubt that this series should've been more than 13 episodes as everything just went by so fast and there wasn't enough time to develop the characters. My thoughts for next episode is that it'll be concentrated completely on the past resolving what happened then and tying up loose ends. Either that or we'll get the cliffhanger and will have ot wait for the DVDs.

2007-06-26, 00:13	Link #94
Mirrinus Bemused Scholar Join Date: Jan 2007 Age: 36	It's pretty lame to be made out of paper if it doesn't afford you any special powers. And no, being flammable doesn't count. For a guy that's made out of paper, I find it kinda funny how often he goes out into the rain. The extremely convenient rain summoned by the power of plot necessity.

2007-06-26, 02:08	Link #96
dojikyo Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004	7. Kind of a step back from the previous episode on the drama front. That and Aono is overpowered. Multiple clones, clone bombs that lead into more setups. The action sequences, despite their flaws, continue to be pretty interesting.

2007-06-26, 03:41	Link #97
niwasatou mind the gap Artist Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: スキマの向こう Age: 31	9/10 First of all, for Aono. Second, for the flashback scenes, especially the one in the beginning. It was nice to see the three together and getting along (understatement!). Third, the miracle movie of the sky suddenly starting to play. The dramatic pause in movement aside from the clouds was clichéd but pulled off well nonetheless (IMO).

2007-06-26, 08:46	Link #98
xat Senior Member Fansubber Join Date: Dec 2005	On a different note, I wonder how Takeshi/Mayuko will be managed. Takeshi is still ageing. I'd love to see perhaps a spin-off series/ova detailing the dynamics of their relationship as Takeshi approaches a possible end. In fact, I wouldn't mind a special that goes into Takeshi's conscience as he ages, starting from when Mayuko becomes a yaka.

2007-06-26, 09:21	Link #99
Skyfall Lost in my dreams... Join Date: Jun 2006 Age: 37	^ That might as well be one of the things we will get to see in one of the two DVD only episodes. Or we might see it in the last episode, if indeed turns out to be "X amount of time later". __________________

2007-06-26, 09:27	Link #100
zetsumei Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: 自分の天獄	Wow, what an awesome episode; really well executed. Sola is definitely one of the top 5 anime of the season.