(L) Kamisama Dolls

[hoarfrost]

Was it? I thought she was seeing a vision from the other girl's memories.

[LKK]

I agree with Nvis. I thought Hibino's vision was of Aki.

[Triple_R]

Episode 6 thoughts below:

Spoiler for Episode 6:

This was probably a good time to give us a break in the action, and let us learn a bit more about the Village, and the people who lived there and grew up there.

While there is some dark controversy there, I have to say that the Village was not as ominous or disturbing as I had expected it to be. Perhaps that's for the best, though, as it did contribute to a lot of nice lighthearted moments in this episode.


The Episode 6 revelations were good well-executed ones, and Utao has definitely grown on me. I really liked her character in this episode. Her older brother came off pretty good as well.

Now, as for her twin brother... he's become a very interesting character for me. I very much like how he was developed in this episode, and I'm eager to see how this anime goes forward in developing the relationship and feud between him and his twin sister.


It's been a very long time since I've watched a compelling conflict (and hopefully relationship growth) between two twin siblings play out, and it's nice to see that in an anime.

[Funkatron]

For some reason I like the fact that the people who build and maintain the dolls are neutral and service both the clans. I also lolled when that Hyuga guy's wife asked if Kirio was his love child Poor Hibino was correct when she said she was in deep.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Now, as for her twin brother... he's become a very interesting character for me. I very much like how he was developed in this episode, and I'm eager to see how this anime goes forward in developing the relationship and feud between him and his twin sister. [/SPOILER]

I don't dislike any of the characters so far, and I enjoy the sibling dynamic a lot. But it's Kirio and Aki whose arcs interest me the most at this point. I love pathos.

[mangatron]

Aaaaaaaah! Ponytail Hibino! My life is complete, I found my new waifu!

Ep 06 was great. I'll say it here, I've got no qualms with the pacing considering the fact episode 06 answered plenty of questions, and brought in a few laughs along the way as well. Good mixing of entertainment

Moyako speaking for her dad was funny, even using the classic paper cup telephone, that village may be behind the times but they can get the job done

I'm a bit conflicted though, I was fine before about Mayuri showing up late, but with next ep looking like a flash to the past, I wonder if her appearance will be short and bittersweet

Originally Posted by Tempester

One nitpick I have about this anime is the number of coincidences revolving around Kuuko.

Bruce Willis asked himself the best question of Die Hard 2: "How could the same sheiße happen to the same guy twice?"

I just think of Kuuko that way

Hibino is a decent character and I can't dislike her, but her typical breast size goes way too far above my personal cut-off point (which is around E-cup). I say typical because the animators can't decide what size they actually are; they seemed merely bigger than average in the bathroom scene but in most other places they were twice as big as her head.

I admit her size is so erratically different at times, it would look almost flat, and super-sized just like this:

Originally Posted by TheEroKing

Mangatron wishing he was Kukuri

I'm going to suggest the animators are having fun with Hibino. A whole bunch of animators with different breast size preferences XD
And yes, I wish I was Kukuri in that scene and I wish I was in Utao's spot and pulling Hibino's pants down lol.

I'll dump some fanart now.

Utao:

Spoiler for pics:

they were in here...

Ah Utao-chan, you really are the main character of this series

Originally Posted by TheEroKing

Episode 6
inb4 mangatron

Heh, I blame my shoddy connection

Originally Posted by hoarfrost

Was it? I thought she was seeing a vision from the other girl's memories.

What I saw in that scene was Aki back in the day, a scene from Moyako's memories. This is confirmed by Moyako's question to Kyohei earlier in the ep when she asked about Aki, perhaps she has feelings for him (Love triangle with Kuuko X Aki X Moyako!), and the preview for next ep suggests Aki is the dog handler, so that's basically it.

Originally Posted by Triple_R

While there is some dark controversy there, I have to say that the Village was not as ominous or disturbing as I had expected it to be. Perhaps that's for the best, though, as it did contribute to a lot of nice lighthearted moments in this episode.

I'll admit I had thought the village was a creepy town to live in, but it's only what it looks like: a quiet place with a calm relaxing atmosphere. It makes me wonder even more just what could have happened here that drove Aki insane (or, is he even insane?)

Originally Posted by Funkatron

I also lolled when that Hyuga guy's wife asked if Kirio was his love child

That scene was hilarious. Her concern was so valid, especially since he just got back from the city. Koushiro's reply to her was as serious as it was simple, a good role model and father figure

I too liked that the Somaki Repair shop is neutral, kind of like a mediator

[Kanon]

That episode was nice break from all the action of the past couple weeks. I loved Moyako and her grandpa, a shame we probably won't see them again (unless Utao trashes Kukuri once more... which almost happened at the end of this very ep ). Utao was cute always, and it was endearing to see her attempt to learn how to be a big sister for Kirio. She's definitely no big sister material though, so good luck with that.

Finally the flashback we've been waiting for next week. Aki said Hibino looks like Sensei, not only is that completely wrong, I think she looks like Utao actually (mostly because of the haircut).

[Lexxus]

Last 5 minutes was amazing

[Dawnstorm]

Kamisama Dolls = surprise of the season.

Dawnstorm eps1-3: childhood-friends/loony rival - check; abandoned mysterious past - check; cute little sister - check; psycho girl = trouble maker - check; ridicolous breast size - wtf? Wrong genre? But: Nice quiet details, like Hibino's father (quite subtle), maybe stick it out.

ep4: wtf? I thought that Kyouhei would freak out eventually, and that Hibino would meet Aki eventually; but all in one episode, and so soon? They must have more of a plan than I thought, if they ramp up the pacing like that.

ep5: ep4 =/= fluke. A doll fight in public?! Kyouhei going back to the village? So soon?

I didn't expect the show to be this good. It's overtaken No.6 as the second best new series this season (after Usagi Drop, my favourite). Impressed.

Random ep6 comment: Two small scenes with Kirio entering Hyuga guy's house: - wife thinking he might be illegitimate son; then scarred back in the bath. In two slow-moving scenes they've shown just how isolated he must have grown up. A very nice underpinning to the jealousy scene... (It's how they manage to be fast-paced with slow moving scenes like these that I find so impressive. A surprisingly subtle show, if you take the time to look.)

[Forsaken_Infinity]

Originally Posted by Forsaken_Infinity

And imho, Kirio's psyche held up surprisingly well given how he was raised and how he knows that all that Utao has should have been his as well. And Koushiro seems to be more of a badass than I initially thought he was. Interesting.

Quoting myself regarding Kirio. I have a lot of admiration / respect for that kid. I sincerely hope there will be a happy resolution to his relationship with Utao (don't really care about the rest of his family - Kyohei is so so but his Dad and grandpa should just die and his mom doesn't even know he exists and at this point, everyone's better off if she never learns really).

That double strip-scene was totally random (like totally totally kind of totally) but otherwise I loved the episode. Very small touches like the scene with Kirio's scarred back, the small peek of Aki's past we got from Moyako's thoughts, the scene with Kyohei badmouthing his dad only to be told off by his mom who has been completely put in the shadows etc. go such a long way in building the tempo of this show. Really lovely.

I disagree with the comments that the village didn't look that ominous. I say it was all the more ominous that it looks just like a peaceful village on the surface.

[Haak]

Lol that was a pretty funny episode. The flying scene particularly cracked me up.

[mangatron]

Yeah, that flying scene. I can watch that again and again and laugh everytime

Originally Posted by Kanon

...I think she looks like Utao actually (mostly because of the haircut).

Me too. The funniest thing to run through my mind was "that's what Utao-chan will look like in several years from now"

Originally Posted by Dawnstorm

(It's how they manage to be fast-paced with slow moving scenes like these that I find so impressive. A surprisingly subtle show, if you take the time to look.)

YES. This is what I like about many of the scenes in this series. They don't have to explain everything (which only make the series more dragged), at times you can just see the scene, and it will explain plenty.

Originally Posted by Forsaken_Infinity

I disagree with the comments that the village didn't look that ominous. I say it was all the more ominous that it looks just like a peaceful village on the surface.

But that's what makes it so mysterious. My initial thought at the beginning of this series was "that must be one messed up village", but here in ep 06 it's quiet, it's peaceful, gee whiz just what happened here that made Kyohei leave everything behind. Then we see that Kyohei's dad would rather not dig too deep, we see a stark contrast between Utao's scene with her grandfather, and Kirio's scene with the Hyuga ojiichan, then we're heading into ep 07 where hopefully the dreadful things of days past comes to light.

Hibino's scene at the end of ep 06 is a lot more intruiging than it looks. She had basically the same type of view I had about the village, she thought the village people would be weird, but being in the village, she seems to think it's not all bad, which is what led her to ask Kyohei the question of the day. Fun series so far, I gotta admit it's keeping me far more fascinated (in my opinion) than Sacred Seven.

Okay, Sacred Seven may be lacking in boobies but that is not the leading fact of my opinion

[Triple_R]

What I meant by "the Village was not as ominous or disturbing as I had expected it to be" was that I expected its inhabitants to be a bit more... clearly messed up, shall we say.

I was expecting something more along the lines of the remote village/town of Ookami Kakushi, where the people living in it don't even seem normal. While this Village in Kamisama Dolls clearly has its dark secrets, and its highly questionable treatment of some people (Kirio's situation alone demonstrates that), most of the people themselves seem reasonably well-adjusted to me. Nothing seems terribly "off" about it all.

In fairness, perhaps my expectations were overly skewed by the Hyuga ojiichan in the previous episode.


In any event, this is no complaint or criticism of the show. Ookami Kakushi isn't the most critically acclaimed anime, after all, so it's perfectly fine for Kamisama Dolls to go in a different direction.

[miroku2192]

Whoops, I was majorly confused for a split second. I thought the series just time skipped and showed me a 20~ year old Utao-chan (san now I suppose).

Aki you're such a liarrr

[gameboy234]

No wonder she feel so uneasy.. Carrying 2 huge papaya and balancing..

[Tempester]

This was a relaxing breather episode where we got to learn a bit about the village. Moyako's dialogue during the training scene was questionable. Utao tripping after the serious talk with her grandfather made me laugh.

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Now, as for her twin brother... he's become a very interesting character for me. I very much like how he was developed in this episode, and I'm eager to see how this anime goes forward in developing the relationship and feud between him and his twin sister.

Originally Posted by Funkatron

I also lolled when that Hyuga guy's wife asked if Kirio was his love child .

Agreed. The whole scene with Koushirou and Kirio was sweet. Koushirou is probably a father figure for Kirio since Kirio has been separated from his parents from birth. I hope the problems between Utao and Kirio can be solved nicely without too much tragedy.

Originally Posted by mangatron

Ah Utao-chan, you really are the main character of this series

For me, she is. The fanartists seem to like Aki just as much.

Originally Posted by gameboy234

No wonder she feel so uneasy.. Carrying 2 huge papaya and balancing..

Papayas? I was thinking Hindenburgs.

The kakashi being made of wood is a cool idea, but I have trouble buying how such a flimsy material can neutralize the force of a falling truck like in episode 3 without visible damage. Maybe the magic honey that bonds them to their seki also holds them together.

More fanart!

Spoiler for Utao:

Spoiler for Aki:

Spoiler for Aki & Kyouhei:

Spoiler for Kuuko:

Spoiler for Mangatron's new waifu:

Spoiler for other:

Spoiler for NSFW!!!:

[tomtkp]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Finally the flashback we've been waiting for next week. Aki said Hibino looks like Sensei, not only is that completely wrong, I think she looks like Utao actually (mostly because of the haircut).

I think what Aki meant by "Hibino looks like Sensei" was that he thought that Kyouhei likes Hibino because Kyouhei sees Sensei in Hibino (Do you know what I mean).However,that was Aki's own opinion.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Tempester

Agreed. The whole scene with Koushirou and Kirio was sweet. Koushirou is probably a father figure for Kirio since Kirio has been separated from his parents from birth. I hope the problems between Utao and Kirio can be solved nicely without too much tragedy.

When I saw the scars on Kirio's back, my first thought was that Hyuga Elder, and how somebody (I volunteer) should take that stick of his and beat him bloody with it.

When you look at Kirio's situation, not only was he ripped away from his family and raised in secret, but he was raised by a man who probably viewed him as the enemy by blood - and you see the results. Is it any wonder he resents all the love and affection Utao is showered with? How could be not? It's nice that Kouchirou (a Hyuga) seems to be genuinely kind (though I'm not 100% sold this isn't a "good cop, bad cop" ruse by the Elder) but there's tragedy stamped all over Kirio's situation.

From the beginning Kirio and Aki have felt like victims to me despite being presented as villains. That's a fascinating element of this surprisingly subtle and complex series. I really hope both their stories don't end in tears.

[Texas84]

Honestly, I don't care much for this story. I don't hate it, it's just kind of, meh. But I keep coming back for the art, the characters and the character design, especially the awesome facial expressions. The interaction in this episode was a lot of fun. I guess I'm more of a slice of life guy.

[Master_Yoma]

Great episode and now that is some awesome fanservice