sola - Episode 9 Discussion / Poll

[kazune-kun]

Aono is so annoying! She wants Yorito all for herself.. and her stupid hairstyle isnt helping either. I hope they show more of younger Takeshi x Mayuko's past. Seems interesting.

I agree with Skyfall I hate Yorito's VA

[Deathkillz]

so much aono hate

and thats it for takeshi's and mayuko's past...besides what more is there left to know? (and having a "how they grew up" story would be crap...) ~ the remaining eps would just focus on the love triangle now...

[felix]

Yes but those who hate Aono seem to hate most of the show or large pieces of the show as well. So meh ~

[Owaranai Destiny]

Sometimes the reasons why people hate Aono tend to seem humorous, yet logical as well. Recent Matsuri scenes seem to be garnering more support or sympathy (Don't know which is more) for her, and in effect Yorito (since I'm under the impression that no one really likes Yorito that much except for the fact that he's close to Matsuri) . What happens to those who oppose or hurt them?

That being said, Aono does need a wake-up call from someone. Preferably someone unexpected, someone that has yet to feature much in the Aono vs Matsuri scenario.

[shiro83]

Reminds me of the Flame of Recca fight between that paper-user and Recca.

[dojikyo]

9.

Matsuri's power leveling is pretty bad but it hasn't reached true shonen levels. She didn't win either match. A true shonen hero/heroine would have power leveled enough to win. When that happens, then it becomes time to seriously dock points.

More troubling was the way Mayuki's actual death was in comparison to the the way it was portrayed back when Takashi stopped after slashing Yorito. It showed Takashi helpless to protect Mayuki against multiple faceless antagonists. In this episode Takashi arrives long after the deed is done. I guess the older episodes mirroring of Yorito's protection of Matsuri to Takashi's imagery was just that.

It was nice to see that I was wrong in assuming Yorito would interrupt the match, though.

[PastPrime]

Originally Posted by dojikyo

More troubling was the way Mayuki's actual death was in comparison to the the way it was portrayed back when Takashi stopped after slashing Yorito. It showed Takashi helpless to protect Mayuki against multiple faceless antagonists. In this episode Takashi arrives long after the deed is done. I guess the older episodes mirroring of Yorito's protection of Matsuri to Takashi's imagery was just that.
.

You had better watch that episode again. The flashback showed her dead in a pool of blood, then later, after she had become a Yaka, it showed Takashi protecting her from antagonists.

[Nemesis2124]

Originally Posted by octoberasian

It's either: She just wants to be left alone, or wish she was never there or never existed in the first place. It also sounds like she's blaming herself for everything that has happened up until now. It's just really sad watching Matsuri in this situation. She's been through too much already with Aono and Takeshi trying to get rid of her, erase her literally.

I would assume a bit of both. If staying away of her own volition doesn't keep her out of everyone's hair, then death is certainly a viable solution.

[PastPrime]

Originally Posted by Icerack

Misunderstood. Point taken.

I guess also missed the fact that she didn't seem to recognize Aono neither at the bus station. So there's a possibility that a 3rd Yaka exists, unless I was misled to thinking that she didn't recognize Matsuri (which isn't quite clear at the moment).

I looked back and it seems to me that all we know for sure is that she didn't know Matsuri was a Yaka, which would fit with the fact that she didn't seem to know that the girl she wanted to talk to and the Yaka that Takeshi was hunting were the same person. So perhaps Matsuri was the one who awakened her and told her that she was a Yaka. Of course, it didn't really look like Matsuri recognised her either.

[Sentrovasi]

What I'm not sure about is if it's absolutely necessary for one to be revived by another Yaka to become a Yaka... since that'd beg the question of how Yakas first originated ._.

I don't believe it's necessarily true that Mayuko was revived by anyone; Yakas are formed by depression and anger and sadness and stuff, after all; maybe Takeshi's emotions and the death of her whole family were enough to effect the change...? That someone else told her that she'd become a Yaka doesn't mean that person had to have revived her (although it does seem to be a popular theory, no?): that there were people who knew about Yakas (I doubt Takeshi would've gathered all his information from other Yakas who conveniently walked by without him killing them) meant that it might have been someone else... or, if it was a Yaka, then that Yaka might not necessarily have brought her back. She might even have reached a plane of limbo before she was resurrected into a Yaka: a plane where she was told of what she'd become by some older figure...

All of these seem just as probable to me... albeit it doesn't link everyone together nicely... I mean, sure, it would've been really cool if it turns out everyone was linked together from the start, but I don't think that always happens.

As it is, I think it's not a bad way to close the thing. Theories are plausible, but I think it's reached just about as much of a conclusion as I'd care for without everything becoming too coincidental...

Ah well. Enough about my dumb speculations. On a last note,

- Takeshi's gift-rabbit looks weird much like Yorito's stuffed animal purchases. I'd figured it was from years of wear and repair, but no, it looked like that new. Any link (even casual) to Yorito's crazy stuffed animal shop?

... I don't think Takeshi had enough money to buy a proper doll =/ He either got a crappy one for cheap, or (more romantically,) made it himself.

The latter makes me go "aww" for a few seconds, before I realize just how terrible his handiwork must have been ._.

[Skane]

Spoiler for Preliminary Thoughts:

Originally Posted by Skane

The following is based on a RAW.

Preliminary Thoughts on Ep09:
---- ----

• We got not one, but two climatic battles in this episode. Between the two, the one between Takeshi and Matsuri was much more intense (especially since Matsuri fights back), and the animation quality for that one was noticeably a notch higher than usual.
  .
• When Takeshi screams, I can empathise with him. When Yorito screams, I want to kick him in the face... Whoever the VA of Yorito is, please... take lessons from Takeshi's VA. The pathos from Takeshi's VA's voice-acting is very palatable, and raises my enjoyment of this episode that much higher.
  .
• Awww... at the story behind Mayuko and Takeshi. Look on the bright side, Takeshi. You got an eternal Loli for a lover.
  .
• On a side-note, Takeshi deserves to be called GAR.
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• Hmm... WHICH Yaka created Mayuko? It would be interesting if it was Aono. I would love it if it was Aono.
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• Aono scores points in this episode for showing restraint in not only refraining from killing Matsuri, but from not forcing her way with Mana. Mana's damn lucky, I tell you. She has the impregnable Koyori-shield to tie Aono's hands with.
  .
• Use Koyori to talk to Aono already, Mana! If Aono's vision and Mayuko are anything to go by, it is the Lolis that hold all the life-changing speeches in this series. Koyori will probably just need to spout a few heart-rending lines and Aono will instantly fold, I tell you. INSTANTLY.
  .
• I wonder if the sky in the preview is not just reflecting the mood of the series, but reflecting the timeline as well? Meaning, we will get a night-time sky soon in the preview, before the DAWN in the last preview.

Cheers.

Looks like I got it wrong in one of my earlier thoughts. Watching the fansub has been most clarifying.

The following is based on [Doremi]'s fansub.

Random Thoughts On sola Ep09:
---- ----

• It puzzles me on why so many people are questioning the location of Matsuri and Aono. The opening scene alone indicates that the battle was already ongoing, and unless you intend to tell me that they stood rooted to their initial spots, it is simple logic that they must have been moving around as they fought, and indeed, as the battle played out, we see Matsuri and Aono dashing all around the station.
  .
• Aono is a smarter fighter. She always retain the higher ground.
  .
• It surprises me that nobody commented on the following plot hole. Yorito is trying to find Matsuri ASAP and he abandons his bicycle... Choosing instead, to run on foot...
  
  Now, this would have made some sense if he had to cross a field or some other impassable terrain, but... he was running on LONG. STRAIGHT. ROAD. The only valid explanation I can think of is that he suffered a sudden case of stupidity, in which case, it does not bode well for his character likeability...
  
  Yorito: "Oh no! If I continue to cycle the rest of the way, I might reach the scene too soon. Therefore I shall inexplicably ditch my bicycle and run the rest of the way!"
  .
• Mayuko is not acquainted with either Matsuri or Aono in the past, so which Yaka revived her?
  .
• Erm... why does Mana recognise the origami paper as Aono's?
  .
• Rain only seems to affect the characters when they are not in a happy mood. If cheerful, their clothes and bodies will magically repel the water.
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• Physical beatdowns aside, I am finding Aono to be the most tragic character in sola. In terms of anguish, she has suffered the most. The happiest is of course Mayuko, as she has Takeshi by her side.
  
  Matsuri? Most of her "pain" comes from self-angsting... which is not really a good way to raise real sympathy. Thus far in this series, Aono has always been on the losing end, while Matsuri has been winning.
  
  And yet... and yet it is AONO who has been the most stoic (give or take one or two breakdowns), while Matsuri continues to loath herself until Ep10 or so.
  .
• Kinda "sad" that Takeshi was already "manlier" than Yorito at a younger age. Still... go figure that they both share the same weird taste in soft toys.
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• Takeshi must undergone some serious "shounen training" during the past 17 years in order to pull off some of the moves he did during his climatic fight with Matsuri. Additional points for managing to pull off the "badass GAR" aura while bespectacled.
  .
• Mayuko and Takeshi are the most well-adjusted couple in this series so far.
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• Night sky reflected in the pools of rainwater.
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• "Preview" was rather... surreal.
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• What were those lines in the additional ending credits from [Doremi]?

Cheers.

[Ascaloth]

Finally managed to watch Episode 9 in full sound, and this is the first day of my return to Singapore, too. I swear, I didn't realize it was this hard to get a connection in Western Australia.

So, my much belated thoughts on this episode...

1) Nope, I didn't like the Aono-Matsuri battle, too. Lack of tension aside, Aono's fighting style looking like a cross between Gambit's card-spam and the Freedom Gundam's beam-spam just didn't do it for me. >_<

2) @ Skane-sama,

You forgot to mention that, for some inexplicable reason, Yorito's bicycle can remain standing without training wheels when he lets go of it. Logical and animation plotholes in the same frame....there's a few heads at Nomad I would really like to Mana-chop right now.

3) Okay, I thought Yorito's VA made a good reckoning of himself in the last episode.....I take that back. His freak-out this episode was just bad VAing, period. It really exposes his rookie status this time round.

4) Damned, Mana is a friend I would kill to have.

5) Props to the seiyuu who did the adolescent Takeshi's voice. The tone in his voice reflected the character quite perfectly at every point in time; from his more carefree days, to his sudden maturing as newly self-appointed guardian of Yaka Mayuko.

6) Oh, power-levelling. >_<
That aside, the Matsuri-Takeshi battle was actually one of the most well executed Sola battle episodes IMHO, with cuts of Takeshi flashbacks intersposing pretty well with the actual fighting. Now this is one fight that actually has a good dose of emotional tension behind it.

7) The 'Mellow Melody' sequence was.....beautiful. I almost cried there.


In conclusion, an 8. Too many holes in this episode to justify a higher score, but the great character development of Takeshi-Mayuko really makes up a fair bit of it. I hope that's not the end of them though; they had better not drop out of the story altogether.

[fairy_mouse]

I myself think the reminiscence of Mayuuko and Takeshi plays an excellent ending for this episode. Years pass by, but Takeshi has always loved Mayuuko-the troublesome princess as he called

[Archon_Wing]

You lie!!!
Well, Aono's definitely gone off the edge.

Probably the best episode so far; I'd give it a 9. I liked how Mayuko and Takeshi got some decent background here. Unfortunately their relationship is probably the best built up so far. We will have to see if Yorito will actually do something now.

[Triple_R]

This was probably my favorite episode of the anime too, Archon.

The action scenes in this one were just outstanding.