(L) Katanagatari

[momobunny]

I love nomico, I look forward to hearing the next ED song. :3

[Daniel Lind]

The plot thickens!

Overall, damn great episode. More action, more suspense, just all around interesting.
Even though defeat of Biyori-gou was all kinds of lame, it was logical, so I can't really complain, can I?

Ending is all sorts of lively for the first time since Refulgence, I like it a lot.
OP though... It's indeed the modern Ali Project, but the song is very, very good.
Visuals... They are nothing short of godlike. I was sitting the whole OP with my mouth open in awe. Every frame is wallpaper material. Although

Spoiler for Contents:

it's kinda not fair that they showed off all of the foes for the last few episodes, they didn't do that for OP1, why here?

Yeah, that was a good watch.
Oh, and EP9 preview was not showed after the episode for some reason.
You can watch it here instead.

[Nilie]

Originally Posted by Daniel Lind

The plot thickens!

Overall, damn great episode. More action, more suspense, just all around interesting.
Even though defeat of Biyori-gou was all kinds of lame, it was logical, so I can't really complain, can I?

Ending is all sorts of lively for the first time since Refulgence, I like it a lot.
OP though... It's indeed the modern Ali Project, but the song is very, very good.
Visuals... They are nothing short of godlike. I was sitting the whole OP with my mouth open in awe. Every frame is wallpaper material. Although

Spoiler for Contents:

it's kinda not fair that they showed off all of the foes for the last few episodes, they didn't do that for OP1, why here?

Yeah, that was a good watch.
Oh, and EP9 preview was not showed after the episode for some reason.
You can watch it here instead.

NEW OPENING!!!! YAY! *Happily hugs*

[Sprite_Coke]

WTF? 1:02~1:03. Little Nanami being worshiped by Maniwani?
I like the VIDEO sequence. No comment on audio.

[Kismet-chan]

I agree with Daniel. Godly opening sequence. Every frame is something I would totally put as a wallpaper on my laptop. I'm proud of you White Fox! As for the song, I like it...

... Up until 1:14. Once it hits that point, I don't understand wtf happened to the melody.

Anyways, I can't wait to watch the episode. Should be grand. <3

[Daniel Lind]

Once it hits that point, I don't understand wtf happened to the melody.

Typical AliPro song ending. Yuki no Onna has it like that too. Most of their songs do.
It has a melody and a pattern though, you just have to listen to it a couple of times to start noticing it.

[Kismet-chan]

Originally Posted by Daniel Lind

Typical AliPro song ending. Yuki no Onna has it like that too. Most of their songs do.
It has a melody and a pattern though, you just have to listen to it a couple of times to start noticing it.

Lol, that's like saying I don't know how to properly listen to music. I'm not saying it doesn't have a melody/pattern, nor does it take multiple listens to notice anything about it. I'll rephrase what I said. I just... don't like how AliPro ends their choruses anymore. It's a personal taste. Their trend as of late is that they'll often have a chorus using mostly fairly low/dark toned notes, then they end the chorus with lighter notes (this is what mainly turns me off from how the song ends). They start the chorus at a middle or low-level pitch, and then it ends in a noticeably higher pitch. To me it sounds awful when they do this. I wish they'd stop doing it in like, EVERY song they make nowadays. (Their songs typically end like that, yes. But they have quite a few songs, most of which were earlier ones, that do NOT stretch the notes to... such an extent.) But they enjoy how it sounds and it's their call how they make their music, so I can't complain much. I still like their music, just not every single part to their songs.

I may be one of few who notices these things, however. As an audiophile, I am very analytical and picky about my music; I break down whatever song I am listening to piece by piece, note by note. A single out of place note in a reoccurring melody can ruin an entire song for me. What the average listener hears is much, MUCH different from what I will hear.

But all of that is just my personal opinion, of course.

[Daniel Lind]

that's like saying I don't know how to properly listen to music

Sorry! I just really like the song and I'm trying to take a certain philosophical stance on its imperfections. Like, it can't be helped, could have been much worse, etc.

[Kismet-chan]

I like the song, too. Don't get me wrong! (I'm trying to make a high quality rip of the audio from that video right now. Y'know, something that's totally legal. )

Edit: And yes, it could be worse. *Cringes at the thoughts of some songs I've heard in the past for various anime*

[takodori]

There is a shogi scene in the new Op for a second or two. The position on the board is really likely, serious, and close. Judging from how well it has been created in spite that almost no one should not take much attention to that position since it is not a shogi dedicated anime such as Shion no Ou, I come to assume that the anime staff did a good job overall

[Daniel Lind]

I come to assume that the anime staff did a good job overall

A certain person I know concluded from the cour trailer for episodes 7~9 that Kiguchi Zanki also has proper kendo choreography done for her, which he claims is a rare thing for anime.

[takodori]

I'm sure the model of the castle where Hiteihime lives in is Nagoya castle in Ep.8 which is located in Nagoya City and called Owari in the era of this anime. You can watch some photos and explanations in the following links. You will also be able to find there what the ornaments are all about on the roof of Togame's house.

Nagoya Castle Official Website
http://www.nagoyajo.city.nagoya.jp/1...ish/index.html

Nagoya Caslte(Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagoya_Castle

As to Lake Fuyo, some say the model is Shinobazu pond in Ueno Park, Tokyo, though it's a much more beautiful place to visit than Lake Fuyo. I tend to agree. Here is the link to Wikipedia article;

Shinobazu Pond(Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinobazu_Pond

[Freeter]

Ugh, not feeling the new OP at all Nowhere near as energetic as the first one, and Ali Project still sounds overdone and forgettable (though I already expected this, so no surprises there). The visuals remain astounding at least, and the melancholic setting definitely sets the tone for this new arc.

Can't wait to see more of short-hair Togame. That new haircut makes her look 100x sexier than before

[Kakkou]

This settles it. If/when Zaregoto ever gets animated, I want White Fox's Katanagatari team to do it. I absolutely love the start of the chorus with the Shichika panning out and all that. Excuse me while I go watch it again.

[karinvampire]

Like the new op.

Makes me sad watching this and knowing what's going to happen at the end.

[Kismet-chan]

Originally Posted by Kakkou

This settles it. If/when Zaregoto ever gets animated, I want White Fox's Katanagatari team to do it. I absolutely love the start of the chorus with the Shichika panning out and all that. Excuse me while I go watch it again.

Yes @ ALL of this. Epic Shichika FTW. (I love, love, love how it looks almost exactly like Take's illustrations for that part, too.)

And Zaregoto being animated = EXTREME WANT. T_T

[SquirrelLuvsPnut]

I'll just leave this here,

[Kunagisa]

Originally Posted by SquirrelLuvsPnut

I'll just leave this here,

LOL, I haven't seen you in this topic for a while, can't believe you're still so crazy about him.

By the way, I would never buy something with this cover if I see it in a music store.

[Daniel Lind]

By the way, I would never buy something with this cover if I see it in a music store.

What do you mean "It's not awesome"?

[Dextro]

Originally Posted by stuopidget

By the way, I would never buy something with this cover if I see it in a music store.

I fell the exact oposite of that: I would probably find that image way too awesome to pass but the song is just cringe-worthy. It's the usual AliPro from the latest years: random sounds thrown together without any sort of reasonable progression, I just don't get it how is it supposed to be in any way good. But of course that's just my opinion and the op is still awesome (if you take away the sound).