(CR) AntiMagic Academy "The 35th Test Platoon"

[Iron Maw]

Gonna have disagree here. I'd rather take an okay resolution over abrupt one that doesn't lead anywhere for the build up it's has. For a serialized TV show that's no go. We would be left would be Gangsta-style ending where the show just stops and leaves everything hanging.

Essentially imagine if the new season of Utawarerumono just stopped after 11 episodes of SL shenanigans because it follow the game super faithfully without planning and structure fits the medium for new viewers or the number of episodes need to tell the story. That's way worse and unacceptable to adapted the game and it doesn't give a better result despite sticking to source.

This not even getting into how screwed up the momentum for a second season would be (assuming one even planned to begin with violate sales in this market).

[quigonkenny]

I could tell things were rushed, but overall I liked the series, and was okay with how it ended. That said, I'm not one of the novel readers, though I well know the angst of not getting a faithful adaptation. Certainly wouldn't mind more of best girl Ikaruga-sama. Even among the best harem in a "magic fighting school" series this year (with Asterisk a respectable second), she was something special.

[James Rye]

Eh, could have been a better ending, felt again like too much things were happening while again a lot seemed to have to need background infos about to fully understand plus I couldn't get any real tension because it was clear from the get-go that MC would save his sister, NOT die himself (despite having "losing" his soul or whatever to become a god-mode hunter) and ofc nobody would have as much as a scratch on themselves no matter the apaocalypse going on around them. This series felt like it needed another 12 episodes to get everything explained in a good pacing.

[FlareKnight]

Originally Posted by Iron Maw

Gonna have disagree here. I'd rather take an okay resolution over abrupt one that doesn't lead anywhere for the build up it's has. For a serialized TV show that's no go. We would be left would be Gangsta-style ending where the show just stops and leaves everything hanging.

Essentially imagine if the new season of Utawarerumono just stopped after 11 episodes of SL shenanigans because it follow the game super faithfully without planning and structure fits the medium for new viewers or the number of episodes need to tell the story. That's way worse and unacceptable to adapted the game and it doesn't give a better result despite sticking to source.

This not even getting into how screwed up the momentum for a second season would be (assuming one even planned to begin with violate sales in this market).

Well can stick to our camps, since I can't agree with this at all. I'd rather get a series that at least has good pacing and fleshing out its arcs. Since as things stands I'm going to forget this anime ever existed once the next season starts. At least if this was a good show it might have had some lasting impact.

And I don't think that comparison works at all. The early arcs may not have had an "end of the world scenario" but they did have stakes, issues, and good moments. The last arc was no different from the rest of the early ones. It was yet again another character arc that focused on one of the main cast and basically none of the others, this time it was just Takeru.

The new Utawarerumono has been overall disappointing with it's focus on the slice of life instead of actual material they could have adapted that would have added better variation. Regardless of a second cour what it has been doing is unacceptable.

Momentum is nice, but this show never cared about proper momentum anyways. Starting out of the gate with even this last arc doesn't hurt anything. It's a strong way to open up the season.

[Iron Maw]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

Well can stick to our camps, since I can't agree with this at all. I'd rather get a series that at least has good pacing and fleshing out its arcs. Since as things stands I'm going to forget this anime ever existed once the next season starts. At least if this was a good show it might have had some lasting impact.

The sense of impact and memorability is what I'm talking about though. There is nothing particularity special about early volumes at all. Most of (if any) praise for series comes from books 5 and onward. SL could have spent the entire first cour on just vol 1 and 2 (roughly episode 1-2 & 3-4) but most people wouldn't care because those arcs aren't interesting on their own and deal with all too common themes (like amnesia or the evil fiance ) and harem shenanigans. Worst off none of characters outside of Ouka and Mari would get any character development. Essentially the alternative would be at least just as forgettable and worst off because some stuff certainly would happened, but if you left wondering if any of matter. Furthermore remember the main reason AMA stood out from the other two school battle shows was it started off less generic in spite of tropes. And that really becomes apparently later when haremness dies down and more personal stakes are forefont.

Or at least that how felt about earlier books.

And I don't think that comparison works at all. The early arcs may not have had an "end of the world scenario" but they did have stakes, issues, and good moments. The last arc was no different from the rest of the early ones. It was yet again another character arc that focused on one of the main cast and basically none of the others, this time it was just Takeru.

Yes the arc is mostly about Takeru, but unlike the other arcs this one actually ties together plot points that was introduced in every other one up to this point (Alchemist, Kanaria, Valhalla's leaders, his sister etc), has the biggest plot relevance and deals with a much less common scenario that isn't for once about beating the badguy of the week. It gives the earlier arcs a sense of purpose in the bigger picture instead of adding a new girl to Takeru's harem like the every one has been. SL's real mistake here was not giving it 4 episodes to fully flesh it out. I'm also not fond of how they handled the original ending either due to some plot issues but it is moot point if they don't plan to continue it anyway.

The new Utawarerumono has been overall disappointing with it's focus on the slice of life instead of actual material they could have adapted that would have added better variation. Regardless of a second cour what it has been doing is unacceptable.

All the stuff the anime is covering is part of the material, it's just slow as hell.

My point however is that Utawarerumono S2 has the opposite problem. It's mitigated by the fact it has 2 cours to work with so it can afford to have that kind of pacing since had it been one cour it would have been terrible. AMA would have just as bad if not worse in the situation (only without a second cour) since Utawarerumono S2 is at least a lot less generic then it even at it's low points. More faithful? Yes. Better? Not really.

Momentum is nice, but this show never cared about proper momentum anyways. Starting out of the gate with even this last arc doesn't hurt anything. It's a strong way to open up the season.

It's less of about have "proper" momentum and more about having any at all. At least here the series feels cohesive at basic level (one off like epiosde 9 aside) with a beginning, middle and end (if SL had followed the original book ending a hook for S2) opposed just having a beginning, middle and sharp fall off with no resolution in sight.