AnimeSuki Forums

Archon_Wing · 2016-10-05, 21:25

I thought that was a great episode! Asuka seems to be so intimidating at times and Mizore is hillarious because she makes Reina look sociable.

Also, I thought Kumiko and Reina couldn't look cuter together, but I was proven wrong xD I absolutely loved the fireworks and all that hair animation, though they should have really set some time to let Kumiko's hair move too.

Kazu-kun · 2016-10-05, 21:56

I agree with Triple_R that this season is lacking on intensity in comparison with the first season. Reina specially changed a lot, and I'm not sure I like this new side of her. She seems quieter, more serious, less eccentric, less... intense I guess. Almost like a different character.

The overall atmosphere is quieter too. The artwork is less sharp in general, brighter too. There was less background music. It was pretty strange.

That been said, I loved the first season so I'm willing to give this one a chance.

Archon_Wing · 2016-10-05, 22:27

Reina keeps up a strong front, and her softer side isn't willingly shown to everyone. She's even stated as such many times.

We've been seeing different sides to both Kumiko and Reina that has been shown at first glance, so at the very least I find that interesting.

Triple_R · 2016-10-05, 22:38

Some of Reina's Season 1 eccentricity was probably coming from a place of loneliness, or at least a sense of isolation.

Reina now has a good best friend that'll do regular morning practice with her. And Reina's new best friend has other friends that Reina has at least become Ok hanging around with. So Reina has found a niche for herself, socially speaking. That can calm and relax a person.

Is this good from a viewer perspective? Very strong case of "your mileage may vary".

The character change does make sense, in any event. And I think Reina still cares a lot about winning Regionals and going to the Nationals.

Kazu-kun · 2016-10-05, 23:06

In the first season Reina had like this intensity to her, some sort of inner-exuberance I guess. She was like that even after befriending Kumiko, I think. But I don't see it now. It's like she lost a bit of her spark.

I'm not saying this is a bad thing though. Actually, I can't tell if it is yet. The changes just threw me off a bit I guess.

Triple_R · 2016-10-05, 23:20

Maybe the outcome of the Reina vs. Kaori battle had a big impact on Reina.

For me, the most amusing and surprising moment in S2 Episode 1 was when Reina casually and playfully joked with Yuko of all people. That was really smooth, good-natured, and relaxed.

Maybe the outcome of the Reina/Kaori battle made Reina realize that the social aspect of things can't be ignored, and Reina should put a little effort into it anyway. If not for Reina's friendship with Kumiko, she may well have lost the vote and her desired role, even though she won solidly on pure talent. And Taki showed he wasn't about to completely overrule the rest of the band even if Reina is the more talented performer.

At the same time, Reina was probably moved by Kumiko's support during that vote. Hazuki's support, even if for Kumiko's sake, probably made Reina warm up some to Kumiko's other friends.

Flower · 2016-10-05, 23:21

For what it is worth I also felt some changes were present, not enough to "ruin" the episode or whatever, but enough to make a question mark rise above my head and ponder.

For me I "explained" the tonal change I was sensing overall to what seems to me to be digging another layer down in the lives of some of the band members.

I think the percussionist instructor hit the nail in the head when he remarked that the band was playing in a subdued, guarded, quiet way, despite technically sounding pretty good together.

My guess is that they need to bloom a little bit as a group and that at present one of the big things holding many of them back is not addressing In a wholesome way the split that happened the year before.

Basically the second years need to properly attend to what happened in a way that is healing and allows them to move on, and not just sweep it all under a rug repeatedly. It's not fair to handicap the first years with their unaddressed messes. (Easier said than done, of course.)

That subdued not fully addressed and repeatedly stuffed down feeling of tension and awkwardness and uneasiness that needs to (and will be, I think?) faced is what this season will likely revolve around, and I think that lends the a great part of the feel to the series as a whole. (Of course this is pure speculation based on the first ep only.)

Addressing the split and it's impact will help the band members to show more of who they are when they perform as a whole, I think, and may be the (if not one of the most important) key to possibilities for victory, I would guess.

Triple_R · 2016-10-05, 23:29

@Flower - Very good post. I agree.

While I sympathize with the 2nd and 3rd years here, they really are kinda leaving the 1st years out in the cold. Which is, well, cold.

Good successfully groups typically don't work this way. Divisions like this need to fall or melt away. The 2nd and 3rd years probably need to address the big drama from the year before, and stop keeping the 1st years totally in the dark.

Kazu-kun · 2016-10-05, 23:42

For what it's worth, I think the episode did get a bit of momentum at the end. Even Reina seemed more lively in that moment. And her speech about not running away felt a bit like the old Reina, intense and stubborn.

Archon_Wing · 2016-10-05, 23:56

Well, she can be fiery at any time, but it has to be about something she cares about. She's rather ranging from casual to apathetic to anything that doesn't involve playing music.

At least I think it's easy to figure out. I mean, if you were to pick a list of hobbies or views you have when communicating to a random person, you'd probably pick what would be considered more socially mainstream, just to be safe, wouldn't you? Maybe it's just me, of course, but I tend to share odder/stranger viewpoints after I've gotten to know someone better.

And as with most shows, we start out as strangers to the characters, but now we understand them better. As with the characters in the show, amongst themselves. So they get a bit odder, possibly more fun, and most definitely less serious.

Honestly, if the characters were the same they were at the start and you could define them within a checklist, I'd find that rather boring.

deadite · 2016-10-06, 00:06

Can't wait for the drama of this arc. Jusging from the pre OP sequence where it was snowing and that shot of the notebook in th ED are they going to cram book 2 and 3 together?

Kazu-kun · 2016-10-06, 00:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

Well, she can be fiery at any time, but it has to be about something she cares about. She's rather ranging from casual to apathetic to anything that doesn't involve playing music.

That's not what I meant though. During the first half of this episode I felt she was particularly lifeless. I don't remember her like that at any moment in the first season. The voice acting may have something to do with it. It's hard to pinpoint though.

Anh_Minh · 2016-10-06, 01:31

Oh, that poor guy whose name I forgot. Well, he only has himself to blame, I guess.

Bordix · 2016-10-06, 02:21

Dude was just minding his own business eating yakisoba with his bro and then got told that he's a spineless coward behind his back. Pretty sure Kyoani likes torture him else I really dont know what's his purpose in the show anymore since Reina already got his role covered already.

RX-78GP04G Gerbera · 2016-10-06, 02:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Triple_R

@Flower - Very good post. I agree.

While I sympathize with the 2nd and 3rd years here, they really are kinda leaving the 1st years out in the cold. Which is, well, cold.

Good successfully groups typically don't work this way. Divisions like this need to fall or melt away. The 2nd and 3rd years probably need to address the big drama from the year before, and stop keeping the 1st years totally in the dark.

Yeah, leaving them out of the loop could easily end up leading to something happening that can threaten a repeat of that history.

Arya · 2016-10-06, 03:23

mmm, the feeling is that Souichi, as her sister, is a part of Kumiko that she kinda left behind for one reason or another. They seem two unresolved bonds Kumiko is avoiding at the moment because she has something more important (but also iirc because at the beginning of S1 she decided to have a new start leaving the old things behind, so she basically is sticking with it). But also due to her detouchness (just see her behavior when asked to go the the festival by Reina).
I don't think it's by chance Souichi and Kumiko' sister have been treating similarly, starting from their screen time to Kumiko's attitude. Maybe they are something she is trying to avoid being the most close to her or to her old self, maybe not, but Reina testing her on him seemed to imply it will be dealt when the time come.
Speaking of which I found striking in this episode Kumiko's voice when at home (so her family, what I ultimately associate Souichi and Kumiko' sister to) in comparison to when she is outside. Too striking to not be intentional from the voice direction.

I also felt that the background music was less present. Probably it added up to the quieter mood, apart form let the voices to be heard completely unfiltered.

About Asuka, let the girl come back or not? well, of course I think it will be a problem in either cases, and generally speaking for an overall moral of the story giving a second chance should be the right way to follow, even if I like how Asuka is so strong and intransigent; not that the other 2nd and 3rd years seemed to be faltering (not even the president) in the slightest either, with an hurtful expression.
I think the line is drawn by how serious the group is, the more is serious the less it should be forgiving. But this is a dual edged path, since if it is true that they have to be severe to a certain degree, this is also a path that can lead losing the soul they have as a band, and others have lost in the seek of perfection, as seen in S1.

Benigmatica · 2016-10-06, 05:32

Episode 1:
Nice to see Kitauji back, especially for both Kumiko and Reina and their shipping at the end of this episode!

On the other hand, there will be drama in regards to Nozomi Kasaki and her determination to return to the concert band club. Honestly, she shouldn't have left the club in the first place but it's already happened!

blakstealth · 2016-10-06, 06:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Triple_R

@Flower - Very good post. I agree.

While I sympathize with the 2nd and 3rd years here, they really are kinda leaving the 1st years out in the cold. Which is, well, cold.

I hope this leads to more drama.

FredFriendly · 2016-10-06, 06:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benigmatica

Episode 1:...On the other hand, there will be drama in regards to Nozomi Kasaki and her determination to return to the concert band club. Honestly, she shouldn't have left the club in the first place but it's already happened!

As an anime only viewer who does not know the intimate details as to why Nozomi quit, I will hold off on judging her before those details are revealed. Who knows, maybe it has nothing to do with the last year's fiasco. Maybe she was just bullied (perhaps by Asuka herself) to the point where she couldn't take it anymore. Even hardened criminals are given a chance to redeem themselves, so why not Nozomi? Just because the tyrant Asuka doesn't like her?

deadite · 2016-10-06, 06:06

Actually Season 1 episode 7 already showes why Nozomi left. She was even in the flashback. She appeared twice in Season 1.

2016-10-05, 21:56	Link #42
Kazu-kun Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006	I agree with Triple_R that this season is lacking on intensity in comparison with the first season. Reina specially changed a lot, and I'm not sure I like this new side of her. She seems quieter, more serious, less eccentric, less... intense I guess. Almost like a different character. The overall atmosphere is quieter too. The artwork is less sharp in general, brighter too. There was less background music. It was pretty strange. That been said, I loved the first season so I'm willing to give this one a chance. __________________ Last edited by Kazu-kun; 2016-10-05 at 23:32.

2016-10-05, 22:38	Link #44
Triple_R Senior Member Author Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Age: 42	Some of Reina's Season 1 eccentricity was probably coming from a place of loneliness, or at least a sense of isolation. Reina now has a good best friend that'll do regular morning practice with her. And Reina's new best friend has other friends that Reina has at least become Ok hanging around with. So Reina has found a niche for herself, socially speaking. That can calm and relax a person. Is this good from a viewer perspective? Very strong case of "your mileage may vary". The character change does make sense, in any event. And I think Reina still cares a lot about winning Regionals and going to the Nationals. __________________

2016-10-05, 23:06	Link #45
Kazu-kun Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006	In the first season Reina had like this intensity to her, some sort of inner-exuberance I guess. She was like that even after befriending Kumiko, I think. But I don't see it now. It's like she lost a bit of her spark. I'm not saying this is a bad thing though. Actually, I can't tell if it is yet. The changes just threw me off a bit I guess. __________________ Last edited by Kazu-kun; 2016-10-05 at 23:29.

2016-10-05, 23:20	Link #46
Triple_R Senior Member Author Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Age: 42	Maybe the outcome of the Reina vs. Kaori battle had a big impact on Reina. For me, the most amusing and surprising moment in S2 Episode 1 was when Reina casually and playfully joked with Yuko of all people. That was really smooth, good-natured, and relaxed. Maybe the outcome of the Reina/Kaori battle made Reina realize that the social aspect of things can't be ignored, and Reina should put a little effort into it anyway. If not for Reina's friendship with Kumiko, she may well have lost the vote and her desired role, even though she won solidly on pure talent. And Taki showed he wasn't about to completely overrule the rest of the band even if Reina is the more talented performer. At the same time, Reina was probably moved by Kumiko's support during that vote. Hazuki's support, even if for Kumiko's sake, probably made Reina warm up some to Kumiko's other friends. __________________

2016-10-05, 23:21	Link #47
Flower Blooming on the mountain Join Date: May 2010 Location: Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light....	For what it is worth I also felt some changes were present, not enough to "ruin" the episode or whatever, but enough to make a question mark rise above my head and ponder. For me I "explained" the tonal change I was sensing overall to what seems to me to be digging another layer down in the lives of some of the band members. I think the percussionist instructor hit the nail in the head when he remarked that the band was playing in a subdued, guarded, quiet way, despite technically sounding pretty good together. My guess is that they need to bloom a little bit as a group and that at present one of the big things holding many of them back is not addressing In a wholesome way the split that happened the year before. Basically the second years need to properly attend to what happened in a way that is healing and allows them to move on, and not just sweep it all under a rug repeatedly. It's not fair to handicap the first years with their unaddressed messes. (Easier said than done, of course.) That subdued not fully addressed and repeatedly stuffed down feeling of tension and awkwardness and uneasiness that needs to (and will be, I think?) faced is what this season will likely revolve around, and I think that lends the a great part of the feel to the series as a whole. (Of course this is pure speculation based on the first ep only.) Addressing the split and it's impact will help the band members to show more of who they are when they perform as a whole, I think, and may be the (if not one of the most important) key to possibilities for victory, I would guess. __________________

2016-10-05, 23:29	Link #48
Triple_R Senior Member Author Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Age: 42	@Flower - Very good post. I agree. While I sympathize with the 2nd and 3rd years here, they really are kinda leaving the 1st years out in the cold. Which is, well, cold. Good successfully groups typically don't work this way. Divisions like this need to fall or melt away. The 2nd and 3rd years probably need to address the big drama from the year before, and stop keeping the 1st years totally in the dark. __________________

2016-10-05, 23:42	Link #49
Kazu-kun Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006	For what it's worth, I think the episode did get a bit of momentum at the end. Even Reina seemed more lively in that moment. And her speech about not running away felt a bit like the old Reina, intense and stubborn. __________________

2016-10-06, 00:06	Link #51
deadite Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010	Can't wait for the drama of this arc. Jusging from the pre OP sequence where it was snowing and that shot of the notebook in th ED are they going to cram book 2 and 3 together?

2016-10-06, 01:31	Link #53
Anh_Minh I disagree with you all. Join Date: Dec 2005	Oh, that poor guy whose name I forgot. Well, he only has himself to blame, I guess. Last edited by Anh_Minh; 2016-10-06 at 04:25.

2016-10-06, 02:21	Link #54
Bordix Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008	Dude was just minding his own business eating yakisoba with his bro and then got told that he's a spineless coward behind his back. Pretty sure Kyoani likes torture him else I really dont know what's his purpose in the show anymore since Reina already got his role covered already. __________________ .

2016-10-06, 03:23	Link #56
Arya Senior Member Join Date: May 2004	mmm, the feeling is that Souichi, as her sister, is a part of Kumiko that she kinda left behind for one reason or another. They seem two unresolved bonds Kumiko is avoiding at the moment because she has something more important (but also iirc because at the beginning of S1 she decided to have a new start leaving the old things behind, so she basically is sticking with it). But also due to her detouchness (just see her behavior when asked to go the the festival by Reina). I don't think it's by chance Souichi and Kumiko' sister have been treating similarly, starting from their screen time to Kumiko's attitude. Maybe they are something she is trying to avoid being the most close to her or to her old self, maybe not, but Reina testing her on him seemed to imply it will be dealt when the time come. Speaking of which I found striking in this episode Kumiko's voice when at home (so her family, what I ultimately associate Souichi and Kumiko' sister to) in comparison to when she is outside. Too striking to not be intentional from the voice direction. I also felt that the background music was less present. Probably it added up to the quieter mood, apart form let the voices to be heard completely unfiltered. About Asuka, let the girl come back or not? well, of course I think it will be a problem in either cases, and generally speaking for an overall moral of the story giving a second chance should be the right way to follow, even if I like how Asuka is so strong and intransigent; not that the other 2nd and 3rd years seemed to be faltering (not even the president) in the slightest either, with an hurtful expression. I think the line is drawn by how serious the group is, the more is serious the less it should be forgiving. But this is a dual edged path, since if it is true that they have to be severe to a certain degree, this is also a path that can lead losing the soul they have as a band, and others have lost in the seek of perfection, as seen in S1. __________________ *The meaning of things lies not in the things themselves, but in our attitude towards them.*

2016-10-06, 05:32	Link #57
Benigmatica Deadpan Rambler Join Date: Nov 2012	Episode 1: Nice to see Kitauji back, especially for both Kumiko and Reina and their shipping at the end of this episode! On the other hand, there will be drama in regards to Nozomi Kasaki and her determination to return to the concert band club. Honestly, she shouldn't have left the club in the first place but it's already happened!

2016-10-06, 06:06	Link #60
deadite Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010	Actually Season 1 episode 7 already showes why Nozomi left. She was even in the flashback. She appeared twice in Season 1.