(L) Hai to Gensou to Grimmgal

[Chosen_Hero]

Originally Posted by frodonk

Of course pokemon had romance! Ash was just too dumb to make a move on Misty

I feel bad to the next newbies who would come to that ghost town to kill goblins, Hal's party killed them all already, including the boss.

I don't know their age, but isn't Mary years older than the rest of the party?

It's pretty sad that people still think that there was romance between Ash and Misty (I wonder how many people even now that the whole Misty's song thing was juat shoehorned by WB kids -if I remember correctly it was them- to oander to the shippers like how Serena is just ship bait in XY)... well considering what can pass as romance in anime nowadays it's no wonder, any ship in Grimmgal just like in Pokémon is just the fanbase getting ahead of their selves, heck from what I hear that last scene is anime original (gee, I wonder why.).

Haru x Yume which is the closest thing to a ship in this series is also barebones at best when it comes to romance development, shipping Haru with Mary (at best) is just scraping the bottom of the ship barrel.

Heck, at this point Haru x Manato seems to be the only real ship in the whole damn series.

P.S. I haven't read the LN (in case you missed it in my post), so no spoilers here just common reasoning.

[Iron Maw]

IIRC nobody has said Haru x Mary is a thing yet though. The show itself seems imply it might be at some point (the new image in the ending is biggest hint to that). Haru and Yume literally just friends, not even a ship. That be like saying Haru x Ranta is thing, so doesn't hold much in value in comparing it to anything.

[Azuma Denton]

Ah so happy for the party. They finally avenged Manato's death and becoming official volunteer soldiers. Mary and Haru also gives a good vibe. Sorry Yume, you are my favourite girl, but you can't win this match...

I really enjoyed that conversation between Haru and Mary in the end of episode. It did seem that Mary finally opened a bit of her heart to the party.

[justpassingby]

Eh? I'm okay with HaruxMerry. Just don't give her too many screentime just because she's the love interest. Merry being at the better level makes me to look forward for others to develop.

Also, the radio and Nico Nama event will be boring if Chikape is the MC. Those two programs are the ones I look forward to every week.

I haven't started reading the LN, but seeing comments at Yume's 2ch thread makes me don't want to.

[Yamada II]

Episode 8
So they attack the goblin party who surprised attacked them and killed Manato. But this goblin party is much more organized and intelligent than the other goblins they've met before. And killing this bunch isn't as easy as they thought it would be. They don't come out of it unscathed – Moguzo gets hurt, Mary gets hit by an arrow, Yume gets hit by the goblin's spear, Haruhiro gets hit by an arrow. The goblins know human fighting style well and also know how to avoid the magic attacks. They manage to kill the goblins and avenge Manato's death.

They then go and buy their badges and get one for Manato too as they still consider him a party member and shouldn't be left behind.

I still believe that the part where they're at the grave could have been much better if they had given Manato another episode – they should have shown Manato interacting with each party member individually. We only saw him alone with Haruhiro and there was something between him and Shihoru, but that's it – he didn't spend time with the others alone. This scene could have been a better emotional scene if Manato had died an episode later. And this is a big issue since these episodes are almost all about the kids dealing with the death of their friend and if the dead guy isn't someone we're attached too then these attempted emotional scenes lose their emotional punch. Even if their only purpose for showing this is to show the kids' struggles, they really should have given Manato another episode.

The kids are also getting stronger as they're strong enough to deserve their badges.

Mary is getting closer to them – she's addressing Haruhiro informally. She's trying her best to get along with her party and is helping out where she can.

This was a nice episode and could have been better if it weren't for me not caring enough about Manato.
A bit disappointed too though. Not enough Yume ass or leg service in this episode. They usually don't let out on that.

[Arya]

Well, well, I'm impressed. This episode, despite the animation having some issues here and there, was the best, and I couldn't think the show could have gone better.
Instead it was simply awesome.
I loved the fight and now, in retrospect, I can see why Manato's got foreshadowed that much (something I complained about) so this episode could take me completely off guard about Mary. Despite I was wondering where the goblin with Haru's dagger were.
Yume & Haru good job moment was also made perfectly. Despite how much I like Yume I'm fine with them being only friends, well, more than friends since I'd say the fights is bonding them even if not romantically.
I also liked how Mary switched with Haru displaying how she is on another level, she was so fast that the goblin got surprised.


And then finally the resolution, symbolized by the snowing and especially Shihoru's tears.


I liked Ranta, too. I keep thinking he is perfect to balance the show and he is used to set the pace and break or not the atmosphere. I laughed at him keep asking about Mary suddenly calling Haruhiro Hal


And then the last part, also awesome in its own way. Personally the best part of the episode. And I have a soft spot for the atmosphere the snow is able to create. And this time was no exception.
The walk between Mary and Haru was handled outstandingly in every part (except maybe Mary voice that felt a bit off, but more her VA). It conveyed everything it should, and that's thanks to the fact that it took all the time needed to do so. I mean, the silences were tasty as much as their dialogues if not more.
Also Mary's smile was handled so naturally and in a credible way, it's not that she had a beaming smile, or it was prompted by a direct word of Haru, no, it came out naturally.
And finally also Haru telling her about her own past. He chose the right moment to do so!

And then he was asking something to her ... but got interrupted. I wonder was he meant to ask. Something personal. Or maybe to join them into their house.

In any case if tl;dr; the key word is "awesome".

And yep, I fully boarded the Mary Haru ship that just sailed

[monir]

Every time an episode ends all I can think is how beautiful this show is. There is not much else come to mind. I sincerely hope this show is more than one cour.

[Golos]

Originally Posted by Arya

I also liked how Mary switched with Haru displaying how she is on another level, she was so fast that the goblin got surprised.

That was her using the Priest skill Counter Strike.

Allows a priest to absorb the momentum and force of a weapon’s attack by blocking and storing it. Then using that force for a follow up strike with their staff.

[Kismet-chan]

I love Mary's various outfits. She's definitely the most stylish of the bunch. I also adore how she and Haruhiro interact.

[Jaden]

Mary is probably pretty loaded from her times in the high level party, so her wardrobe reflects that?

The show is really good about establishing characters and getting us invested in them, but it's really bad about world-building. It's weird to me how the characters aren't more inquisitive about everything. A completely new world and a blank slate, and all the information they've managed to get is one tip about goblins in some town ruins..and that is enough to get into a routine? It's like they trapped themselves into this tiny corner of the world and are content with that. Watching that, I'm suffering from the existential crisis that I feel like they're supposed to be having right now, and it's kinda frustrating.

[frodonk]

Originally Posted by Chosen_Hero

It's pretty sad that people still think that there was romance between Ash and Misty (I wonder how many people even now that the whole Misty's song thing was juat shoehorned by WB kids -if I remember correctly it was them- to oander to the shippers like how Serena is just ship bait in XY)... well considering what can pass as romance in anime nowadays it's no wonder, any ship in Grimmgal just like in Pokémon is just the fanbase getting ahead of their selves, heck from what I hear that last scene is anime original (gee, I wonder why.).

Err, just to be clear, I was being sarcastic, I haven't watched a lot of pokemon to know if they had feelings for each other or whatever, all my knowledge of the anime was based on around a dozen episodes I watched bits of back in 1998 or thereabouts

As for people shipping characters, it is quite inevitable I believe, much like how every series with multiple female leads in it will always lead to "best girl" discussions.

[Kismet-chan]

I was more commenting on the aesthetic style/theme of her wardrobe itself (i.e. character designs), not just her ability to buy better things. Mary's clothes kind of have a classy almost-modern fantasy feel to their design.

[Syan48306]

How do you get Hal from Haruhiro? I was literally wondering if it was a reference of some sort.

[Metaneo]

Originally Posted by Syan48306

How do you get Hal from Haruhiro? I was literally wondering if it was a reference of some sort.

As stated before, it has to do with the translation. The translating team doesn't use honorifics but Yume calls Haruhiro, "Haru-kun," but since the English translation drops the "-kun" and Mary just uses "Haru," the translation team has to differentiate between the two.

[LKK]

Out of curiosity, is anyone watching the side-show about the goblins? I'm not because I assumed it was mostly a stupid gag-fest which is usually not my preference. But after this last episode, I wonder if the goblin show had more substance than I had assumed. I also wonder ... now that the goblins are dead, are there going to be any more goblin side-show episodes?

[Arya]

No I'm not, for the same reasons as yours, but yeah, that would be interesting to know

Originally Posted by HandofFate

The small effort they try to humanize the goblins is pointless when there's no real interaction and the cast just slaughters them day in day out over whatever months that have passed by.

My guess it's to make it more real. That's why Ranta said this episode "Sorry, its kill or be killed" or something similar. That's the approach of the show, do you remember the first time they killed a goblin? That was powerful even thanks to this portrayal of the enemies. I think this is a relevant factor that makes the whole show works. I mean, if they had killed "just a mob" it would have been a whole different show and it would have affected even the perception of the pace.
The pace can be this slow because every action has an actual weight that the viewer can feel. Without that weight the aftermath would be pointless.
Sure it may works better on some, but that's how it is IMO.

Originally Posted by Jaden

The show is really good about establishing characters and getting us invested in them, but it's really bad about world-building. It's weird to me how the characters aren't more inquisitive about everything. A completely new world and a blank slate, and all the information they've managed to get is one tip about goblins in some town ruins..and that is enough to get into a routine? It's like they trapped themselves into this tiny corner of the world and are content with that. Watching that, I'm suffering from the existential crisis that I feel like they're supposed to be having right now, and it's kinda frustrating.

i think they knows a bit more (not much more) than what we have been told. On the other hand they don't have time to waste into "philosophical questions" since they needed to earn their meal by killing living beings, their little reality was so real and pressing to make them forget about that.
Their erased memories also helped a lot I guess. Nothing to long for that they were missing, because nothing is missing.
Then the routine takes over like it always appends.

[Dawnstorm]

Originally Posted by LKK

Out of curiosity, is anyone watching the side-show about the goblins? I'm not because I assumed it was mostly a stupid gag-fest which is usually not my preference. But after this last episode, I wonder if the goblin show had more substance than I had assumed. I also wonder ... now that the goblins are dead, are there going to be any more goblin side-show episodes?

Is there a show? As far as I know, it's a webcomic on Grimgar.com. I can't read Japanese, so I have no idea what it's about.

[Goshin89]

Originally Posted by Jaden

The show is really good about establishing characters and getting us invested in them, but it's really bad about world-building. It's weird to me how the characters aren't more inquisitive about everything. A completely new world and a blank slate, and all the information they've managed to get is one tip about goblins in some town ruins..and that is enough to get into a routine? It's like they trapped themselves into this tiny corner of the world and are content with that. Watching that, I'm suffering from the existential crisis that I feel like they're supposed to be having right now, and it's kinda frustrating.

I think it's really natural for them to not spend too much time exploring yet. when you have such primal priorities, make money, eat, rest etc. it's hard for your mind to wonder what's out there etc etc. you just kinda want to survive. maybe now if their basic needs are regularly met like a soldiers salary etc, they can wonder about bigger things

I am speaking from experience. I live in a third world country. i barely care about what's going on on the other side of town even, let alone the rest of the country.
of course i didn't just wake up in such a country. but i think my way of life would have been the same.

[Dop]

Yeah, their first thing was survival, a few weeks ago they were even worrying about wear on their clothes and how they couldn't afford new underwear. But by working hard and not trying to outstretch their capabilities they've become more competent, and made enough to get better clothes and equipment, and avenge their dead friend.

During this time, the bigger picture hasn't really been in their thoughts.

[Syan48306]

Originally Posted by Metaneo

As stated before, it has to do with the translation. The translating team doesn't use honorifics but Yume calls Haruhiro, "Haru-kun," but since the English translation drops the "-kun" and Mary just uses "Haru," the translation team has to differentiate between the two.

I would get it if Mary called him "Haru" but the translation was "Hal" and that was what it sounded like to me too.