(L) Kamisama Dolls

[Lexxus]

Woah. This is a very serious episode indeed. Aki's character is quite interesting than Kyouhei.

Originally Posted by Kanon

So, why isn't Aki the main character...? He's much more interesting than Kyouhei. He's the one who gets the ladies too. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Hibino fell in love with him after hearing that story. That would be an awesome twist

This is very unlikely to happen after what I....

[Kusa-San]

Originally Posted by Forsaken_Infinity

@Kusa-San: I don't think Aki is being portrayed as an antagonist at all. The show looks more or less an ensemble cast to me with the narration mostly done from the POV of Kyohei.

Well, it may be true he's not an antagonist however for me, it's clear that he's not as important as Kyouhei in this storie. Utao and Kyouhei are the most important one.

Originally Posted by stuopidget

I'm surprised the other manga readers didn't point this out but Kyouhei isn't as useless as he is in this episode. He actually confronted that bastard (who's name I didn't bother to remember), and that's when he found out that sensei and Aki were together; this is before he attempted to confess to the teacher and she told him to always be friends with Aki.

Kyouhei knew about them and didn't care, cause he really did like her, and he actually acted on it, so I felt that he should deserve some credit (and before you guys yell at me for spoilers, comparison of events that won't be covered by the anime is 100% ok). Also this should clear up any rumors about Kyouhei actually sending that picture.

To be honest, I bloody hate this flashback both in anime and manga. I was ok until the point where that shithole and his gang had his way with the teacher. I rather they beat the crap out of her or even physically decapitate her body parts or something. I dislike authors who want to instill realism and anguish in the plot through rape. Presentation and the plot are both great, but there are better ways to make a villain than just making him into a lustful dickface.

EDIT: Oh yeah, most important thing, Aki x Kyouhei = best end, you all know you want it.

Thanks for this clarification however, no, I know I don't want this "best end" at all

[jzmagic]

I hate it when rape is introduced to the story, ugh...

[Arabesque]

What is up with this show? How did it make me go from ''Oh, I guess there isn't anything better to do on Tuesday's'' to ''Holy crap, why isn't today Tuesday already!?''?

I haven't posted much since episode 3, but that was really due to my own laziness than the show not having much to talk about, because this has a lot of things to talk about.

Spoiler for Long post:

God's Dolls is, with all it's faults, an amazing show. Sure, it had a very shaky start, and had to take some time until it found it's footing, but once it did, it started to get progressively good at such a rapid pace that by the mid-way point, somehow, I'm considering it as my lead pick as Mecha show of the Year.

Yes, the shows' director still has trouble keeping the series tonally consistent, but the thing with Kishi Seiji is that while he might have his faults, he is a cut above average, and when he can keep a tone, he can keep it for a full half hour extremely well.

Episodes 4,5 and 6 were, in my very humble opinion, great, a world apart from the somewhat decent to good episode 1,2 and 3, and one of the reasons for that was that there was less whiplash from the changes in the mood, whether due to a better handling of the transition or (and I think this is more likely) making each episode have a set tone different from the previous one. Or maybe the material itself had gotten better, but I want to give credited to the anime staff as well, since I think a lot of my positive impression has to do with their work as well.

Whatever the actual reason maybe, as the show enters its second half, it has managed to do what I never thought would ever happen, and that is put me in the antagonist's shoes, and actually make me feel what he feels, and not only sympathize, but actually agree with him.

It's almost unbelievable how in sync I was with Aki throughout this episode. Even after he got ''eaten'' () and I thought it got pretty weird, he came the next scene to say how weird everything had gotten but what got me is how much I understood why he was in the state he was in early on in the show from so little exposition. I understood why he had felt such disdain and hatred towards other people, by being isolated by the village for being too different and no one willing to try and approach him and understand him (other than Kyohei, perhaps), I understood why he had taken care of Nono, even though he kept saying it's a bother, despite not seeing the actual scene between him agreeing to take care of the dog, and my blood started to boil when he got to face his half-brother and got to hear how Chihaya ''wasn't just his women now'' (implied gang rape ... speaking of, even though the half brother came across as being human in how frustrated he was that his bastard brother took what he saw as his rightful role as Seki, I did not shed a single tear at him getting his head cut off. He actually deserved worse than that, but going by how tragic the entire scene was, I'm not not going to advocate any more needless violence, no matter how fitting).

But most of all, I understood why he wanted Takemigazuchi back. Now it might at first appear like it's a sense of entitlement (which is part of the reason, but not the prominent one IMO) but once I got to the end, and started to put Aki's previous behavior into context, things started becoming much clearer.

With morally gray antagonists, getting to know their back story helps shed light on their earlier (sometimes extreme) actions and either makes them justifiable (recent e.g. Homura from Madoka Magica) or makes their actions more understandable since we realize where does their motivation come from (another recent e.g Lunatic from Tiger & Bunny) with Aki, it's closer in understanding that like Lunatic, he acts this way because it's the only way he knows how to act to a world that rejected him and hurt him, but once we get Takemigazuchi (and Chihaya) into the picture, the entire motivation changes. (answering Ziziphus question a bit as well)

Aki views Takemigazuchi not only as an important part of his life, but also of himself. Now I'm speculating here, but from what I've seen in this episode, Aki talks about it as being almost a part of his soul having been stolen from him and finale returned by the end. Him brushing off Chihaya when she asked him to elope with her because he wanted to get it back, refusing to accept that his end would be by its hands (even if the idea popped into his head at first , he rejected being killed by someone who couldn't even control it properly and giving up on life and everyone who he cared for), getting satisfaction from getting his power back (like he had told Kuuko how it was power) and even from the flashback from episode one. He was always at awe at the power of these creations, and the fact that he had one, not matter how brief that period he had it for, was indication that he had gained an irreplaceable part of his soul. When someone is a loner like Aki gains something only they are able to control, and no one else is able to, they wouldn't want to give it up.

The same can be said of how he viewed Chihaya. He might have said that she was looking for revenge in sleeping with him, but by the end he was in pain by how she died and he had Takemigazuchi inflict that pain on everything around him. Him trying to get Kyouhei mad isn't being evil, but him trying to make him stop relaying on others to do things for him (like he went to his father to ask for help, and his father looked for him to go and do it himself. Again, Kyouhei had the power to change things, but he kept pushing things of to others and looking for someone else to do it for him) it's Kyouhei inability to act that Aki hates to see and wants him to break away from.

So yes, this was a fantastic episode, Kyouhei's father, Aki and Chihaya all appeared as humans with their own weaknesses and reasons for acting how they did and still do, and even Aki's half brother, for the scum he is, still had his reasons for doing what he did. The animation was the same as usual, but the art direction was something else, the music was badass (Chiaki Ishikawa new song is great, and the idea for her lullabies to indicate who controls the dolls is an novel and excellent idea) and the tragic nature of the episode was beautifully captured.

10/10. If you excuse me, I'm going to eat my words about this being Brain Base's low key project.

Originally Posted by Seiryuu

I have to wonder just where Moyako grabbed Utao. After all, the order she passed on was not to clench her butt, but to clench her buttHOLE. After telling a girl to spread her legs, clench her anus and focus all her power on her crotch, I kinda doubt she just grabbed a buttock. After all, she never told Utao to do anything with her gluts.

You really do focus on the strangest things.

Originally Posted by Dean_the_Young

I actually tried this series starting at episode 6, and am glad I did. A lot of earlier complaints might have turned me away: episode three's 'why do we have five minutes of cake' makes sense when you realize that simply cycling the rest of the content up five minutes wouldn't have worked once you considered the following episode's pacing, and so on.

Um, I hop my posts weren't the ones that scared you off

The thing with the early episodes of this show, I never tried to make what I said come across as being too negative, so I often tried to make it sound a bit funny. Clearly that had failed ...

As for being cliche, that wasn't actually one of my points at all when talking about this show. My issue came from the handling of the tones and how there was a lack of balance at the start, not that the show wasn't the most original thing I've seen.

Originally Posted by Dean_the_Young

Utao is the real strength of the show so far, and if I had to give the show any criticism it's that they try too hard with her. She's the comedic relief agent, she's the one with the most out-of-place animation styles, she's the one with the over-the-top reactions...

I gave you a rep for what you wrote about Utao, but I wanted to point out a thing: I don't personally mind Utao, and I said as much in the thread, but like you had pointed out, they just try too hard with her many times. Yes, she's cute, but don't push that angle down my throat by over extending scenes showcasing her cuteness when it could be better used adding on her other positive qualities and growth like you had mentioned.

Originally Posted by Dean_the_Young

There's a lot of familiar, badly trod ground this series doesn't go into. Invincible bodies of major characters, the super-sinister cult villages (surprisingly normal and even loving, if a bit sketchy), the romance-comedy fields and the tsundere traps, no maid armies or over-extended misinterpretations...

Are you talking about Sacred Seven? Because it sounds like your talking about Sacred Seven.

Originally Posted by Dean_the_Young

Not everything is NEW and AMAZING, and it certainly can claim flaws, but so far Kamisama Dolls has not been a conventional cliche boilerplate anime.

Oh, your talking about Blood-C ...

And hey, Blood-C doesn't have maids in it!

Originally Posted by mangatron

Wow..... That was quite an ep. Funny how I can't say anything about it, because... it needs to be seen, anything I say here won't do it justice

I mean, discarding the usual OP and ED to emphasize the seriousness of this story of Aki, well done. I'm glad I didn't drop this series after that "cake incident", this series is a good example of me experiencing many different emotions, and I'm lovin it.

I believe it has a lot to do with this. For example, Kyohei can keep sensei's promise and be friends with the dog-loving Aki, but not the slice-and-dice Aki

I don't think that the sakuga cake was a good reason to drop the show (I mean, it was one fine looking cake tbf) but yeah, the show had been gradually getting better and better with each episode.

As for being friends, I think that Aki clearly cares for Kyohei (I mean he thought of him when he decided to not die) but he just wants him to not just be so goddamn passive and do something on his own.

That being said, yeah, Aki should work on his methods to break Kyohei out of his state. Killing people doesn't make one look too good in others eyes

Originally Posted by mols

lol, funny to suggest suicide... when stabbed in the back!!

He must have watched detective Conan. The episode where the victim got herself stabbed from the back with a block of ice ...

Originally Posted by Dean_the_Young

Well... that was unexpected.

Crazy as this was, something that this episode struck me with is that we know very, very little of what Kyohei thought... and it was his own flashback! (Sorta.)

We get a lot more insight about how others feel about others, and even how others feel about Koyhei, than we get about how Kyohei feels about others. Past his obvious affection for Sensei, he's still a main character with a lot of suppressed feelings towards, well, everyone, even as his surface emotions seem obvious.

I thought that the episode was meant to be more convenient to the viewers, hence why it was was more of an omni-flashback than a Kyohei-centric flashback, since we needed to get the full picture rather than Kyohei who only knew of the entire details much later. Better for us to not really listen to him not doing anything (in this version)

That being said, it was funny how he had managed to get so little screen time in his own flashback

Originally Posted by stuopidget

I'm surprised the other manga readers didn't point this out but Kyouhei isn't as useless as he is in this episode. He actually confronted that bastard (who's name I didn't bother to remember), and that's when he found out that sensei and Aki were together; this is before he attempted to confess to the teacher and she told him to always be friends with Aki.

Kyouhei knew about them and didn't care, cause he really did like her, and he actually acted on it, so I felt that he should deserve some credit (and before you guys yell at me for spoilers, comparison of events that won't be covered by the anime is 100% ok). Also this should clear up any rumors about Kyouhei actually sending that picture.

Originally Posted by zzhk

Looks like Episode 7 confirms beyond doubt (through the kakashi tunes) what was never clearly stated in the manga:
Kyouhei was the one controlling Kukuri in Episode 5 when the left hand opened and reflected Takemigazuchi's lightning attack.

Thanks for you two confirming these things And yes, the idea of the lullaby changing from user to user does make it clear what happened back in episode 5. So it seems like Kyouhei might not have broken his own bond eh?

Originally Posted by stuopidget

To be honest, I bloody hate this flashback both in anime and manga. I was ok until the point where that shithole and his gang had his way with the teacher. I rather they beat the crap out of her or even physically decapitate her body parts or something. I dislike authors who want to instill realism and anguish in the plot through rape. Presentation and the plot are both great, but there are better ways to make a villain than just making him into a lustful dickface.

EDIT: Oh yeah, most important thing, Aki x Kyouhei = best end, you all know you want it.

I'm not a fan of rape in story telling either (but I don't know about decapitation lol I know I wouldn't have been a fan of that) , but I think that the way it was presented here it made sense for it to happen. I didn't like it at all, and like I said my blood boiled when he said he gang raped her, but to me it was like reading how Ramsay Bolton had been treating women in general in A Dance with Dragons. It was sickening, and made me wish it didn't happen, but at the same time it was more of a natural progression of their characters and what they had done before hand. Not saying that a two-bit character like ass hole here can hold a candle to Ramsay in terms of being a villain, but it didn't feel like it was added in to install realism and angst like it's done in comic books. More like the conclusion to the way the village is willing to accept this sort of behavior from Seki, and how it ended up causing this tragedy.

[KilluaX90]

Great episode. We finally get some flashbacks about Aki's past, and it's bloody.

Originally Posted by stuopidget

I'm surprised the other manga readers didn't point this out but Kyouhei isn't as useless as he is in this episode. He actually confronted that bastard (who's name I didn't bother to remember), and that's when he found out that sensei and Aki were together; this is before he attempted to confess to the teacher and she told him to always be friends with Aki.

Can you tell me what's they're talking about? Since I don't understand Japanese and only look at the raws, I kinda forgot about that

Originally Posted by stuopidget

To be honest, I bloody hate this flashback both in anime and manga. I was ok until the point where that shithole and his gang had his way with the teacher. I rather they beat the crap out of her or even physically decapitate her body parts or something. I dislike authors who want to instill realism and anguish in the plot through rape. Presentation and the plot are both great, but there are better ways to make a villain than just making him into a lustful dickface.

I think his raping her actually makes more sense than anything you mentioned. He was after her body from the start.

EDIT: Oh yeah, most important thing, Aki x Kyouhei = best end, you all know you want it.

No, it's not. I WILL BREAK THAT ILLUSION OF YOURS!!!!

[kk2extreme]

So being emo will get you girls???

[woodearth]

A couple of comments.

The tonal and pacing problems are more due to the source material. It really jumps from funny to serious and from one character to another. In fact I think the anime team did a better job in linking related segments together while remaining quite faithful to the manga. I hope they continue on this path and avoid an anime original ending.

As for who took the picture of Aki and Sensei, it is implied in the manga that it was Atsushi or his cronies.

[Kunagisa]

@Arabesque, KilluaX90
I agree with both of you, but still ;____;

@KilluaX90

Spoiler for Chapter 17:

Asshole: What Aki and that woman?!
Asshole: Shit!
Asshole: Yo!
Kyouhei: Stop bullying sensei.
Asshole: Is it alright for you to bring out Kakashi?
*flip page*
Kyouhei: I'm not afraid, if you won't stop ... // I'm going to use force!
Asshole: Hahahaha
Asshole: Even though you got guts // you're just a fool, Kyouhei.
Asshole: Your beloved sensei is already with Aki.

Something along those lines ...

Too bad the anime will never get to chapter 42 even at this incredible breakneck pace. Should've been 26 episodes ... (this is 13 episodes right??)

[Malkuth]

Where did his episode come from... really, they can just make a new show out of this one, since it had absolutely nothing to do with the silly action show I was watching for half a cour

Still, amazing episode, it's a shame it aired in place of such a mediocre show this week

Originally Posted by hoarfrost

Why can't we all be the victims of such lucky convenience?

ORLY? I guess you consider ppl lucky when their best friends abondon them, everyone hates them, their pets get slaughtered like dogs (ironic, I know), and their girlfriends gangraped by their family... Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

Originally Posted by jzmagic

I hate it when rape is introduced to the story, ugh...

WTF? You were not bothered by murder, torture, hypocricy, injustice, and persecution... but rape? What's next, get comment like Yosuga no Sora that Nao raped Haruka (in this Sensei and Aki)... oh! wait, I forgot, teacher doing the exact same thing is OK because she got gangraped later in the episode, while Nao is a slut Ah! people, you must get your priorities straight

Originally Posted by kk2extreme

So being emo will get you girls???

Messed up ones... definitely

[serenade_beta]

Originally Posted by stuopidget

and before you guys yell at me for spoilers, comparison of events that won't be covered by the anime is 100% ok

Only under spoiler tags though.

Originally Posted by Malkuth

ORLY? I guess you consider ppl lucky when their best friends abondon them, everyone hates them, their pets get slaughtered like dogs (ironic, I know), and their girlfriends gangraped by their family... Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

It's obvious the post referred to just the having sex with Sensei part.

Originally Posted by Malkuth

WTF? You were not bothered by murder, torture, hypocricy, injustice, and persecution... but rape? What's next, get comment like Yosuga no Sora that Nao raped Haruka (in this Sensei and Aki)... oh! wait, I forgot, teacher doing the exact same thing is OK because she got gangraped later in the episode, while Nao is a slut Ah! people, you must get your priorities straight

It happens, oh so much. The human mind is scary.

[Malkuth]

@s_b: Unfortunately, I always look at the greater picture, and some chick getting gangrapped does not strike me as significant, when she is brutally murdered along with a couple of dozen other dudes

[DragoonKain3]

Originally Posted by kk2extreme

So being emo will get you girls???

I thought it was the other way around? I mean, Moyako only got interested with Aki when she founds out his nice side, and Sensei only started her relationship with him after he 'consoled' her after the blackboard incident.

[Malkuth]

Originally Posted by DragoonKain3

I thought it was the other way around? I mean, Moyako only got interested with Aki when she founds out his nice side, and Sensei only started her relationship with him after he 'consoled' her after the blackboard incident.

No, she was into him before, but scared, since he was more psycho, rather than emo... plus the comment probably referred to the doublymutli-soiled sensei

[Guardian Enzo]

I already liked this show very, very much - but that ep was a game-changer.

I love it when a series that's already working can surprise me by taking itself to another level.

[mangatron]

Originally Posted by Dean_the_Young

she is not primarily a fanservice character. What she has is not central to her character, and it's very much something you need to work yourself over since the viewer can nearly always just not stare. For the most part, the camera angles don't exist to emphasize the bust, like most series love to do.

I mentioned this very early in the series; the fact that she's not the object of fanservice camera angles makes seeing her so much more enjoyable (imo). That means it's not ruining the tone of this series, and... actually, as Mahoraba's biggest fan it's no surprise

but her place in the plot remains to be found. As a 'outsider' who's entering into the world of the dolls, she's currently not very involved in any respect. But then, that's not exactly typical for a female lead of an anime series.

Eh, I wouldn't count her out just yet. I think of it this way: she could very well be Sensei Ver2.0 that kind of mediator between Aki and Kyohei, and maybe she will do what Sensei didn't get the chance to do: make these 2 friends again. The fun part is,

Originally Posted by Ghostfriendly

I'm pretty sure Aki and the mad glasses-taser-pellet gun-gas explosion girl will have started sleeping together by the time the gang get back to the city. Those two complement each other nicely.

Oh, that's the first shipping I decided on, yes I did. There's an interesting parallel between the past and present. Aki and Kyohei had feelings for Sensei in some sort of way, but that didn't work out. Now we have Kuuko, who like Sensei is pretty much tired of life, and we have Hibino, who apparently has that motherly side and face of Sensei. Who knows... maybe Aki and Kyohei have found their matches, although,

Originally Posted by DragoonKain3

I dunno about that. There's still the mystery girl in the opening episode, who's too old to be Utao as she looked the same age as Aki/Kyou in that flashback.

All I can say... my osananajimi senses are tingling! Though still unclear who this girl is, as she doesn't quite look like Moyako (the girl who repairs Seki; the one who's hanging around with Kyouhei this episode). So yeah, I be waiting on the clear up before I start shipping Kyohei with anyone lols. XD

Oh I'm still foggy about her too. She is a Hyuga, and with the advent of that poster a few pages back, I continually wonder what her relationship to Kyohei is. Maybe I'll have some of your osananajimi tingling senses

Originally Posted by Arabesque

Thanks for you two confirming these things And yes, the idea of the lullaby changing from user to user does make it clear what happened back in episode 5. So it seems like Kyouhei might not have broken his own bond eh?

I made this post a few clicks back, and when I watched episode 07 the first thing I noticed was Kuramitsuha's song was different than I last heard. Then I heard Kyohei's Kukuri song and wow, deja vu

If somebody were to ask what's the difference between the manga and anime, heck I'll say the sounds. Too bad you can't hear subtle attention to details in manga

[Haak]

Lol, that was one fucked up past. But i have a question: Did Kyohei stop being a Seki when he found out that Aki didn't kill the teacher or was that before?

[mangatron]

^-Yeah, seems like this episode really hit home with a lot of us here

Originally Posted by Haak

But i have a question: Did Kyohei stop being a Seki when he found out that Aki didn't kill the teacher or was that before?

According to the order of his words, Kuramitsudoll was sealed for a thousand years, Kyohei resigned as position of doll handler, and then later he read Sensei's autopsy report and found out she was killed by "a sharp object under the control of Atsushi"

Okay maybe not worded that way, but you get the idea

[TCman]

Originally Posted by Haak

Lol, that was one fucked up past. But i have a question: Did Kyohei stop being a Seki when he found out that Aki didn't kill the teacher or was that before?

Perhaps before that, since Kyohei weren't able to protect his Sensei while he already promised her that several times. That would be a good reason to stop being a Seki, since being a Seki he couldn't save Sensei at all, and he certainly didn't want something to do with the "feud" between Kuga and Hyuuga anymore; and his "emotionless" father's attitude towards almost everything certainly didn't help.

[zzhk]

Originally Posted by Ziziphus

I checked back that scene from ep 5 and you're right! Very nice.

I forgot to say, as broken as Aki was 4 years ago, he won the heart of two ladies. Kyouhei on the other hand... Well, it's his fault for being so uptight back then.

Do you think the content of this spoiler will be shown in this anime at any time in the future? I want to see it but if it has any probability to be covered later on then I will restrict myself.

EDIT: Actually, zzhk, according to the forum rules, if your spoiler has any chance of being covered in future episodes it's not wanted. In that case I think you'd better remove it before someone complains about it. :P

Well, technically Kyouhei already had 2 girls admiring him by that time...
But moot point since he's neither siscon nor lolicon :P
Uptight? I think he's just the shy type, especially in front of his crush.
Anyway, Kyouhei wins the ladies through heroic action, not angsty looks.

When push comes to shove, Kyouhei is the dependable one.
Recall the Episode 1 opening, when being attacked by the giant kakashi, Aki is in shock while Kyouhei has to drag him to safety.

Actually, the spoiler simply explains some manga details for the scene already shown in the anime, so it should be fair game.

Originally Posted by stuopidget

Too bad the anime will never get to chapter 42 even at this incredible breakneck pace. Should've been 26 episodes ... (this is 13 episodes right??)

Chapter 42 would actually be a good stopping point to end the season after a major battle.
Action scenes easily compress when animated.
The manga seems to be heading towards the end, so a 2nd season probably isn't too far off.

Originally Posted by mangatron

Oh I'm still foggy about her too. She is a Hyuga, and with the advent of that poster a few pages back, I continually wonder what her relationship to Kyohei is. Maybe I'll have some of your osananajimi tingling senses

She's Mahiru Hyuga. It can be figured it out by recognizing Kana Hanazawa's voice crying in the opening and checking the credits in Episode 1.
Probably not much of a spoiler to say she's Koushiro's sister.

<snipped>

[mangatron]

I know it's her, I actually identified her by her hair My hairstyle fetish aside, I like to wonder about her position in all this because we're entering episode 08, heading back to the city, where has she been all this time? I haven't read that far into the manga (not like a lot was released anyways), but judging by her clothing... she's in an all-girls school somewhere downtown?

Make that 2 that left the village!