(CR) White Album (All Episodes, 1-26)

[DragoZERO]

Awwweeesome! I too expected more to hit the fan but they just set the stage up even more for us and now we have to wait. I hope the second season comes out in the fall as previously stated and not in the winter as the end of the episode said.

[golantr]

Originally Posted by Peanutbutter003

In Yuki's character song CD.

Interestingly, I managed to find it when it's supposed to be released on April Fools'.

about character cds

Yuki's character CD:
- Title: WHITE ALBUM
- Release date: 04/01/2009

and Rina's character CD:
- Title: SOUND OF DESTINY
- Release date: 04/08/2009

source:
http://www.whitealbum-tv.com/cd_dvd.htm

[Shiroth]

Shame there's no soundtrack release in sight. They may wait until the second season to release one.

[SageGaiGar]

I located old school versions of both songs,


Just the audio so no worries about actual spoilers in this one. And yes they mispelled the title.
Yuki's song (original version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDe5ndxnn5I

This one's got some images from the game so if you're concerned about possible spoilage (There really isn't much and it's not very relevant) than start it up and play in the background.

Sound of Destiny (Rina's song original version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHWzznyD618

Going to write up a copy of the lyrics for White album in a sec, from eclipse's subs since I think it's highly relevant to this series. I really can't thank them enough for their work translating this series.

[Peanutbutter]

Props to Eclipse as well for also completing the first half of the series. It's really not the easiest thing that will allow subbers to keep subbing it.

Must add they're easily my favourite sub-group at the moment for their speed, quality and language skills.

[PNGO]

Man what a cliffhanger!! oh well guess we can't do anything else but to wait almost a year.

I really liked this anime so far, except for some REALLY frustrating moments and characters I find this series really unique in it's own way.

Can't wait for the next season.

[SuperKnuckles]

Akira barging into the Haruka's bike made me lol. It's like they're trying so hard to paint him as the *facepalm* character of the season. Even when he's being the good guy, he's a jerk and a goof.

[kamikazex]

+1 also waiting for next season

[Sorrow-K]

Originally Posted by Mentar

Funny tidbits from ep13:

Spoiler:

o Touya's goddess of the day mania is getting ridiculous

o Eiji now officially is around half a deck short

o Mana is running out of girls to confuse Yuki with ^_^ (I'm beginning to love this running gag, this time with Yayoi)

o Haruka is now getting jealous of MANA?? Good grief...

Funnily enough, I had pretty much the exact same observations, and saw them all as negatives. Well, except the Mana "every girl is Yuki" thing...

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

As for the main plot, you could make it Yuki's career, or Eiji's machinations, or Rina's renaissance...but for me it has to be Touya's relationship with Yuki: fading out and fading in, with the goddesses confusing him and her career confusing both of them. But we end season one with them both believing in their love. At least consciously.

I think the main theme is the tenuousness of our feelings -- what do we really feel? is it changing or staying the same? -- and the difficulty of getting on the same wavelength with each other. Everybody in the show seems to be on their own path, and not really in sync with other people. Or even with themselves.

This makes it feel kind of scattered, but I think it has its own kind of unity and coherence: consistent from beginning to end in its complexity, uncertainty, and restraint. Nothing seems simple or definite, and looming threats never quite materialize. At least not yet.

I've been thinking about the idea of seriousness and whether it's something that's earned or deserved. A lot of people have admitted to watching this as unintentional comedy now, and in all honesty, I'm starting to get like that as well. There were two scenes in particular that I just couldn't help but laugh at, first with the atrocious lapse in art with Mana and Touya (one of many lapses, but easily the worst) and then when Akira runs over Haruka's bike (take that!). It does feel "scattered", no doubt, and I think there's a very fine line between "complexity" and just plain erraticism, but I really think these characters aren't even close to that line (cf Eiji's bizarre speech about the music god for erratic at its finest). Nonetheless, the show does have a very solemn attitude, but I think when you combine that with its highly erratic characters (yes, my opinion obviously, I feel like I'm unnecessarily wearing down the keys on my keyboard by having to continually state this explicitly), it makes it very difficult to take seriously. That's where the problem is. But I've been thinking about whether something being taken seriously has to be earned, like respect, and I don't think it is... if something starts out with a solemn atmosphere like White Album, it'll initially be taken seriously out of default, because the general mood of the series demands it. But I sure as hell think that the ability to be taken seriously is something that can be lost eventually. And I'd say that's what's happened for a lot of viewers of White Album.

I think the problem with White Album is that these characters, particularly Touya, are so unlikable, and, well, "repulsive" kinda suggests a harshness that I'm not trying to imply, but the opposite of amiable. But Touya never seems to get his comeuppance... arguable, I guess, but he still has this knack of being blessed by the universe (his "goddesses" as he calls them). He's acted like a jerk to pretty much everyone at one stage or another, but with the exception of his father, who, let's face it, prior to this episode he was pretty much indifferent to, he hasn't really lost anything... well, anything of significance anyway (he still has a girlfriend, all his relationships are reasonably in tact, he still has a lot of girls pining for him, etc, etc). He doesn't deserve any of these things, IMO, which is kinda what narks me. The only thing that has cost him is that we, as an audience, have seen just how much of a child he is (a sniveling child, to boot), but the characters on screen have still only seen glimpses of this. And I really don't like watching a passive jerk like Touya do nothing and receive everything he's basically asked for. The problem is, that if he ever did get his comeuppance, we'd basically be watching... is there a Godwin's Law equivalent for romance anime discussions and School Days? Nonetheless, therein lies how limited this form of drama is. We're either watching characters we don't like being beaten to death, or characters we don't like not being beaten to death. Either way, we're still watching characters we don't like.

If I actually dropped shows, I'd be almost tempted to consider the possibility of weighing up the options of dropping this one.

[musouka]

I think the biggest problem I've had with the show is that, as far as the main thrust of it--will Yuki and Touya stay together?--I've been given absolutely no reason to want them to stay together. Treating it as a sort of mental math problem ("What are the characters attempting to express in this scene?") doesn't really help, because at this point I see two people that probably shouldn't be together any more, and I don't particularly want them to get "back" together.

Even KimiNozo, y'know, at least showed us Mitsuki and Takayuki before the problems, so you could understand that something would be lost if they both just threw up their hands and called it quits.

[BetoJR]

Oh, please, let's not compare this series to Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien, shall we? It just doesn't compare well, at all...

[musouka]

Originally Posted by BetoJR

Oh, please, let's not compare this series to Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien, shall we? It just doesn't compare well, at all...

I just used it as an example because it sprang to mind first. The basic point is that for you to be invested in the future of a couple, you have to want them to be together because there is something positive both are getting from their relationship. I don't see that with Yuki and Touya, so they might as well just call it quits and save us the expense of another thirteen episodes.

[BetoJR]

Well, I don't watch this series just to see them getting together (or not). I find most of the characters somewhat interesting and the overall events seem a little on the realistic and not overly romanticized side of the scale - which is a welcome change of pace, for me.

It's just no KimiNozo, that's all.

[musouka]

Originally Posted by BetoJR

Well, I don't watch this series just to see them getting together (or not). I find most of the characters somewhat interesting and the overall events seem a little on the realistic and not overly romanticized side of the scale - which is a welcome change of pace, for me.

That's understandable--though I might quibble with "not overly romanticized"--but since the relationship is what drives the show, I hope you can understand why it would be frustrating in that respect too.

Really, if the show wasn't particularly about Touya and Yuki's relationship, it'd probably be an okay show. I probably wouldn't be interested in it very much either way, but I don't think it would be as frustrating as a slice of life about idols and the people they're connected to--ordinary or not.

[BetoJR]

Originally Posted by musouka

That's understandable--though I might quibble with "not overly romanticized"--but since the relationship is what drives the show, I hope you can understand why it would be frustrating in that respect too.

Well, it's not a whimsically simple series where the characters don't do things that end up hurting others big time - like lots and lots of romances (or romantic comedies) I've seen over the years. I like that about this show.
One other thing is just how much flawed the characters are - specially Touya. Just the fact that we're shown him actually having an affair with someone other than his "official" girlfriend... it's not something we see all the time in animated fiction.

Originally Posted by musouka

Really, if the show wasn't particularly about Touya and Yuki's relationship, it'd probably be an okay show. I probably wouldn't be interested in it very much either way, but I don't think it would be as frustrating as a slice of life about idols and the people they're connected to--ordinary or not.

I, for one, don't really think the show is about their relationship. Sure, it does play a very big part in it, but it is not the total sum of the thing. If it was, I'd have dropped this one a long time ago, with all the missed calls shenanigans. All IMHO, of course.

[Key Board]

The Kimi ga Nozomu Eien comparison somewhat works..

Yuki is Haruka. The plot revolves around her, but she herself in unaware of things and she is not involved in the bulk of the story.

Rina well.. I don't really see any parallel from KnE. Actually, she reminds me of Sheryl Nome from Macross as I can see inevitable signs that she will be discarded soon in favor of rising idol Yuki and her personal life will go to hell.

Mana is the Akane Suzumiya role. She's blunt and she says things that must be said but just like Akane you can tell that there's some selfish reasons for doing things.

[SageGaiGar]

... Not really seeing it.

Technically the material predates the 'comparisons'.

It stands on its own.

[Kaoru Chujo]

I appreciated Sorrow-K's thoughtful post, but I guess the fact is that I just enjoy flawed characters. Being one myself, lol. The fact that Touya isn't getting any obvious comeuppance is more a positive for me than anything else. I like it when our expectations go unfulfilled. Emotionally, however, he has been a confused wreck through this whole show, it seems to me. That's at least a bit of a comeuppance.

As for seeing this as unintentional comedy, I don't at all. It seems like a "serious" show to me because the characters all have problems that they are gradually stumbling through. The only thing I did laugh at was the ever-incompetent Akira crunching poor Haruka's bike. Random, much? Now, Akira is a flawed character I can't summon any sympathy for.

As I say, I'm not sure the writers are in total control of their material. But the very unusual feel and evolution of this show has me hooked.

This being my first post since changing my sig and avatar, I want to draw people's attention to Hayami Saori, who will star in Higashi no Eden (Eden of the East), starting Thursday, April 9. Here's my blog post about her.

[Mentar]

I don't think that Key Board meant this negatively in any way, in fact I know for sure that he values KimiNozo extremely highly. And I do see alot of parallels either, to be honest.

Whether or not someone is interested in the show, and whether or not someone is emotionally invested in the characters displayed is very much up to personal preference. In fact, I can even understand on an intellectual level why people might find the characters tiresome or irritating - they managed to irritate me too on occasions, particularly in the (IMHO much less convincing) scenes when the emo level rises from subtle to blatant. I'm much less successful in comprehending why they're still annoying themselves. But I have to fight hard to keep an impulse in check not to ridicule some esteemed board members too much about open their announcements (to avoid the word "threats") to consider dropping the show after around a dozen weeks of complaints. The catastrophe! Unthinkable

Not all pieces might have fit perfectly so far, but I do consider the characters pretty believable overall, and I for once have to say that I feel empathy for all girls - some more, some less. For Rina, my heart is bleeding. Like Key Board, I foresee a Sheryl Nome development for her. Discarded by her brother for the younger flesh, on the waning part. With good intentions towards who seems to be her only real friend nowadays - Yuki - but who I expect to accuse her of shady business with Touya soon, losing Rina even that. She's the one I wish a happy ending for the strongest. I think that _the_ defining theme of the show is "isolation". The misunderstandings about the nature of relationships leading to miscommunication and their eventual breakdown. Rina is the prime example here - feeling dejected and discarded. And it's only going to get worse.

Yuki - alot depends on how she'll react once she realizes what's really been going on. Generally she's a kind and earnest girl, with alot of patience and tolerance, but also with quite a bit of naivete and self-absorbedness. In any case, character doesn't really show in sunshine, but in crisis. She'll get there, and then we'll see. And all stardom aside, I can already foresee that she's going to run out of her seeming Myriads of friends very soon. Unless I'm mistaken, she'll eventually turn against Rina out of suspicion (unjustly), she'll feel betrayed by Yayoi (justly, but shocking Yayoi), she WILL be betrayed by Eiji (who I now feel to be a huge slimebag), and her relationship to her friends (Misaki, Akira, Haruka) isn't all that positive anymore. "It's lonely on the top" is an old saying. Methinks she's going to learn that.

Yayoi - I believe I understand her quite alot better now. And I found out that I can't hate her. For her, Yuki is the pinnacle of her work, no, even more than that, her life. She clearly believes that isolating her from Touya is the right thing to do, and so she follows through with that no holds barred. It certainly wasn't lust or malice that motivates her to seduce Touya, but a sense of duty. Should Yuki find out about her tryst and lash out against Yayoi for it, she'll probably be surprised and hurt. The stalker subplot also indicated that while she's generally very much in control, there's a limit to her aswell. Shivering in Touya's arms showed a brief glimpse of a human side. It will be interesting to see how she copes once she's unrooted and the center of her life turns against her, causing her to be isolated.

Misaki - She irritated me alot early on. The needy-adhesive type who consciously intrudes in areas where she's supposed to stay away from runs into one of my personal biases, and in fact, she was guilty exactly of what I expected her to be fairly early. However, my dislike has softened alot due to two factors: First, it was HER who eventually pushed Touya away, recognizing the highly unsavory situation and drawing the right conclusions and consequences. She had the realistic chance to follow through with a poaching attempt, but she eventually aborted. This is hard to do, yet she did it. Also, I feel that she's putting some effort into giving Akira a fair chance, hoping that once he overcomes his extreme jealousy of Touya, he might turn out okay. A long shot, and a thorny road, but not hopeless. I respect that. (Side comment: Misaki is atypical for the female characters in that she is the only one NOT one step away from being isolated)

Mana - I like her, I can't help it. She's opinionated, rash, and she's absolutely dishonest in her treatment of Touya, but most of all, she is terribly _lonely_. Touya is her wannabe-oniichan with the capability for romantic interest, the one supposed to help her fill the void in her life, and she is genuinely trying to help him out where she can. Her tolerance about sleeping on the job. Her efforts to procure a ticket for him. I believe that she will be and remain a voice talking truth to Touya where others won't (as long as it doesn't require lying to uphold her charade about her own designs on him), even when she realizes that he actually always told her the truth about being Morikawa Yuki's boyfriend. She's fairly bright and capable, and I can't blame her about her "Yuki misunderstandings". In a nutshell, I pity her. And I think that she can turn out fine if she finds a way to break out of her isolation.

Haruka - good grief. I sympathize with Mana, but Haruka has a _real_ emotional problem. Her fixation on Touya is not remotely healthy. Touya is the middle of her life, but she's playing more the role of a supporting pet for him, someone who he feels to care for a bit out of obligation. A dog he has to feed and take out for a walk every once in a while, and who he can use for certain chore-style jobs. Completely asymmetrical. It's a pity, because Haruka is really bright and perceptive, but she is projecting her desires, needs and hopes on absolutely the wrong person. Her panicked reaction to Mana's umbrella was very revealing. I believe that the two of them linked up fairly well because they're both in comparable circumstances: Lonely, fixated on (the same!) oniichan-replacement. But Haruka is realizing with dread that she's losing ground. Her world is unraveling and she can't see how to deal with it. Someone PLEASE give her a worthier target than Touya, and things could be fine for her.

In other words, I have made my peace with the girls, and I do wish them well, all of them. The guys, on the other hand, look terrible in comparison.

Touya: I'll put his positive aspects first. I can't really hate him because he lacks one thing: He is not malicious. He generally does not try to exploit the blessings of his goddesses (with one notable exception: Dragging Yayoi into his apartment). And I feel that his using of Haruka is more thoughtlessness than calculation. He does not realize that he's got alot of pull with all the girls to consciously use it (like for example Makoto from School Days). He's more the noble peer who gets sugar blown up his @ss and who doesn't even realize that this is the case. A spoiled, lazy and passive brat. How can this not be annoying to the viewers? Who would NOT love to be in his shoes? Grr. Hard to suppress the envy

Then again, I do think that he DOES genuinely try to care for those around him. He DID decide to forfeit sex with Yuki to help out Misaki, even though he'd really have preferred to pass. He IS worried about Haruka and tries to be there for her to a certain degree. He DID drag Mana into his apartment due to genuine worry for her. And I'm convinced that he actually DOES believe that he's doing Yuki a favor by screwing Yayoi in the meantime.

In other words, he is stupid. Sorry. He reminds me of a piece of styrofoam on waves - floating up because that's how things are and all the goddesses pamper him, but unable to think his situation through and unable to play an ACTIVE role in achieving something. I suspect that his emotional wound originated from being kicked out of the house for some reason. We'll probably learn more about that later. And in the meantime, we see his relationships with his goddesses increase in urgency, but also beginning to decay. Master punched him, Akira hates his guts, Misaki dumped him... it will go on, down this slippery slope. And the longer he and Yuki stay together, the smaller the chance that they will actually end up together.

Akira - good grief, this putz. I don't want to think about him too much. Seething with petty jealousy and envy, and generally annoying in his mannerisms too. Look kiddo, if you have redeeming qualities, please show them SOON, okay? Thank you.

Eiji - god, what a selfish bastard. And pretty mushy in his head. I found it breathtaking how nastily he broke the news to Rina, and how callously he dropped her after that too. A true music artist, it seems. With a very unhealthy addiction to Yuki. He already positioned himself as a rival to Touya, so he will go after Yuki in more than one aspect, and he will have the power and influence to make inroads. AND use it. I suspect that once Yuki-Rina turns sour, he'll be hard to restrain.

In a nutshell, there is not a single healthy and requited relationship in this show, with the potential exception of the airy "everyday" concept between Yuki and Touya. Instead, the bonds between the characters are rotting bit by bit. Will this gradual wilting continue, or will we have a spark and explosion, causing open warfare? Initially I expected that to happen (assuming a 13-ep-run), but I'm growing more and more doubtful.

I can say however that if I had all remaining episodes of this show, I'd marathon them in a heartbeat. Which is more than I could say for any other show of this season. Looking forward to October 2009!

[PNGO]

Holy sh%t, I ain't gonna read all that but I'll rep you anyways.