(CR) Gosick

[Shiroth]

Spoiler for Episode 02:

Decent second episode. The mystery this week was pretty obvious like last weeks, so i'm hoping the difficultly level will increase as the show progresses. It's just not as fun otherwise.

Victorique is turning out to be very entertaining though. Especially that laugh.

Score is decent, though needs more of this.

[Kismet-chan]

I reeeeeally wish more people would've read the novels. Seriously. So many questions in this thread could've simply been answered in the first two chapters of the first volume. =_=

Originally Posted by aeriolewinters

it has already begun...

Spoiler for What mainstream viewers think of Gosick:

Humans are simplistic creatures. After a certain age, they apparently cannot go through any instance of life without comparing something to something.

[Klashikari]

Originally Posted by Kismet-chan

I reeeeeally wish more people would've read the novels. Seriously. So many questions in this thread could've simply been answered in the first two chapters of the first volume. =_=

That just shows the adaptation is lacking of this information. Why would people have to read the novels beforehand to understand the setup? That's really silly.
It is the responsibility of the scripters to make the adaptation self sufficient so newcomers would have the information needed. Otherwise, most adaptation wouldn't have any purpose considering it would just concern not even half of the audience.
That's a preposterous requirement.


Anyway, Episode 2 was definitely better, and raise the mood although it still lacks of a mystery flair, considering they are... a bit going too fast.
It is a shame because the setting right now is classic but all interesting (those who have played 999 probably got a lot of "deja vu" impressions), so I think they should have spread that much into more episodes or something.

That said, I wish they could simply make kujo mute or something, because his overreactions aren't really contributing, aside of being forced troubles here and there.

Oh and, surprisingly, the french used there wasn't bad at all, although I have no idea what is the first line considering the writing style a bit too curvey.

[Shiroth]

I've never read the novels, and i'm having no problems enjoying the first two episodes. I'll read the novels depending on how i feel after the series has ended.

[Arabesque]

Spoiler for Episode 2: Staying for Dinner:

Hmm, let's start with what I thought was good in this episode.

Victorique was very fun to watch, as usual. Her antics were very fun to watch (that laugh kudos to Yuuki Aoi for doing the perfect voice for her throughout the episode as well, especially when she got mad at Kujo for patronizing her) but the thing that was really well done here was the development between her and Kujo, as well as getting more insight into Kujo's personality and past.

I can understand what they are trying to do here, by having Victorique grow to trust Kujo more and more while at the same time showing how ''noble'' he is by swearing to protect her no matter what. It really does help the two bond on a deeper level than just being friends and I really enjoyed watching them interact even during the comedic scenes.

That being said, everything else was really underwhelming. While I praised the fast pacing last episode, I can't do the same here because I felt like I was going through the motion and not really getting to ''feel'' the scenes or get familiar with anything other than Kujo and Victorique. It felt like going through the motions without any time to comprehend the situation they were in or feel anything about the deaths/looming threat.

I also dislike at the way they handled the flashback portion here. I don't want to complain about the changes they made as a novel reader, but the way things were handled here really removed a lot of the mystery and intrigue the flashback portion had in the novel, as well as killing what I thought was the best part of the first novel.

Still, praise is there for the backgrounds and the art, as well as the lethality of the traps such as the elevator falling down (as well as the quick snapshots of the dead children, though I hated how without the proper build up it ended up being something of a Black comedy -_-) One thing that really made me wonder though, why was the man who was shot through the head left without visible blood, and yet the children were shown drowning in a bathtub of blood 0_0?

Overall, average episode

Originally Posted by Shiroth

Spoiler for Episode 02:

Score is decent, though needs more of this.

Well yeah, the music still didn't stand out at all during this episode also. Shame because I know that he can produce some amazing scores.

Nakagawa-san, I still have faith in you >_<

Originally Posted by Kismet-chan

I reeeeeally wish more people would've read the novels. Seriously. So many questions in this thread could've simply been answered in the first two chapters of the first volume. =_=

Ah, no they don't?

I mean really the first chapters don't really give anything important that wasn't already given in some form in the anime already. The questions people are asking now are normal, as it's sort of the point to have the viewer asking question and being intrigued by what's going on and learning more about the characters.

People don't need to read the novels to figure out what's going on here.

[Haak]

Everything is great except for the pacing. It's going waaay too fast for my liking. It's not that I don't understand what's going on. It's just I feel it would seem more 'mystery-like' if it went at a slower pace.

[Arabesque]

I agree with that, if for only this episode. I liked the pace during the last one, but this episode felt like they really didn't care about the viewer feeling the atmosphere. Not that the mystery was that great in the first place mind you. It's still far too easy to figure out.

[wandering-dreamer]

Originally Posted by Arabesque

Spoiler for Episode 2: Staying for Dinner:

One thing that really made me wonder though, why was the man who was shot through the head left without visible blood, and yet the children were shown drowning in a bathtub of blood 0_0?

Spoiler for episode two:

When the group goes back into the right room there is a dried puddle of blood under his head, it's faint but there's a stain on the carpet for sure.
So, figured out the mystery pretty fast this time around too and I'm betting on Ned Baxter being the villain here. Maurice is crazy which rules him out of being the mastermind and, while Julie was on the ship the first time around could be the villain and be getting revenge, her actions seemed more like someone who was geniunely trying to get out (although, right after the lights come back on she's the only person you can't see in the overhead shot, meaning that she was probably the closest to the wallpaper to tear it off). Despite that, Ned seems so unrelated to the original incident, he's so out of place, that I think he's probably the one who set this up.
Oh, and did anyone else think that the dark skinned girl talking to Julie during the last flashback looked like Roxane's Arabian maid? Maurice said something to the effect of "everyone involved in the original incident was here on this ship and now they're dead!" and Roxane did get the original invitation (she was talking about hares and hounds in the first episode to boot), plus Maurice said there were survivors from the Queen Berry. So why would the maid shoot her now if someone else was already planning on her dying soon? Sheer coincidence?

[ars89]

Spoiler for ep 2:

I suspected they would need something that Victorique packed and Kujo left behind, but didn't think it would be snacks.

Little flashback shows Kujo's personality. His interactions with her were very nice this week. The best part for me was when he saved her also when he carried her.

Victorique's laugh stole the ep for me, it was just brilliant. She asked Maurice to explain to the young about the ship, but it didn't sound like she was referring to herself. Could that mean she's older than what she looks? Also when Kujo volunteered to carry her she said that she was a heavy burden. So she has some sort of past that is bigger than his comprehension.

Nice cliffhanger at the end

[Flower]

Originally Posted by FateAnomaly

Because Sherlock Holmes actually had to go down to the scene and get most of the information first hand.

Did you read the same Sherlock Holmes books I did? He did this sometimes, but not all the time. When people would first come to his office he would make all kinds of amazing deductions about them without ever leaving the office.

Ah well ... not a big deal, I guess. Perhaps the anime's further episodes will give you the sort of material you (and perhaps others?) are looking for.

Originally Posted by Eater of All

....In this case though, the suspected supernatural involving Victorique pulling knowledge out of thin air is just so ridiculously convenient that I just can't see any sane story using it.

Well, lets see where the anime episodes take the story - at the end things may become clearer as to whether it was poorly executed or well executed.

[Haak]

Why does she put that smoking pipe in her mouth anyway? She never seems to actually smoke anything.

[SuzushinaYuriko]

I thought this episode really was a bit too fast paced. They removed a lot of the flashbacks with the children, which took out a lot of the impact on how incredibly cruel this experiment was. However, I don't think it was possible to show them without spoiling everything, since the flashbacks in the novel don't give you actual images of the children and you have to rely on the text to figure it out, but the anime doesn't have the liberty to do that. I think many people have recognized who was among the children on the ship ten years ago because of that one scene included.

[maplehurry]

ep2... major 999 vibe...

[Kaoru Chujo]

Entertaining. Especially Yuuki Aoi's laugh, and Kujo's courage. Personally, I haven't figured out the whole mystery yet, and don't care. It actually really bothers me when people complain that they haven't been given all the explanations before the story runs its course. I thought that was the point: to watch the story to find out what happens and why. But I admit I'm not much of a mystery watcher.

Nothing great yet, except for Victorica, but I'm having fun so far.

[OceanBlue]

It might just be me, but it isn't obvious who the perpetrator is for me. There are clues, but nothing conclusive.

Spoiler for Episode 2:

Victorique is ADORABLE! I couldn't help but laugh out loud when she started laughing. Kujo's anime-esque reactions and how they're always wrong makes me think it's some sort of jab at him being Japanese. I hope he helps out more in the mysteries later on though (by being observant or something).

It is moving a bit fast, but it wasn't uncomfortable, so I didn't really have a problem with it. Maybe it's just a difference between the LN readers and first-time viewers. What I'm not liking is Victorique's revelations based off of things we can't tell ourselves, but it isn't the main mystery so it doesn't matter too much.

The only things I can guess at are that the woman might've known the structure of the ship by her insistence on continuing after the flooded area and her warning (although why she would warn the people who would die anyway is beyond me). Other than that, the man looks like the person in the flashback (Victorique wouldn't know that though) and he's an actor, so he should know about misdirection, acting, and setting scenes up.

Klashikari is definitely right. I couldn't help but think 999 while I was watching.

[Saturn Beaver]

This episode is not bad at all, but I think my greatest problem with this episode is...for a horror/mystery series, I don't really feel the suspense despite all the attacks and people dying. I'm really not sure why...maybe it's due to the pacing, not enough stuff/other character explained, or something else? Also, one part that's really strange for me, why does Maurice suddenly afraid of the water? They can safely cross afterward, but it seems like the end of the world for him. Sure he's scared out of his wits, but he's positively mental this episode.

Well, the very good thing here is definitely Yuuki Aoi performance as Victorique; that laugh of hers is simply fantastic. Nice to see Kujo getting fleshed out a bit too. Thanks to Maurice, now we know the true story of the Queen Berry. It is a really cruel experiment, it seems that it's for a ritual or something perhaps? And he says something about a hunting dog; so I assume there's an extra mysterious person silently killing them one by one, the paranoid kids (worsens by the fact that due to multiple nationalities, it's possible they'll find difficulty communicating with each other) starts to suspects and kills each other...maybe the survivors are those who managed to kill the real 'hunting dog' and survives? Well, one person for sure is that Arabian Maid from the last episode (who may kill the fortuneteller because she suspects her involvement in the QB?), and another one in the preview - I really advise you not to watch the preview. It could just be a fake out, but I still think myself an idiot for doing that. Hehhh, all these things about hares, and at the Year of the Hare no less....

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

Entertaining. Especially Yuuki Aoi's laugh, and Kujo's courage. Personally, I haven't figured out the whole mystery yet, and don't care. It actually really bothers me when people complain that they haven't been given all the explanations before the story runs its course. I thought that was the point: to watch the story to find out what happens and why. But I admit I'm not much of a mystery watcher.

Nothing great yet, except for Victorica, but I'm having fun so far.

Yeah, that's usually how it's supposed to be for me too, but when it's a detective show like this it's always fun to get the same clues that the detectives get, so that theoretically we should also be able to figure out the case the same time the detective does. For those not interested in this can just continue watching and see the detective explaining, but some can pause it and try to figure it out themselves. The most fun is if it's a cliffhanger for the next episode, then you can try to discuss and deduce it here with other people. Well, at least when it's a fair play whodunnit, where no clues is concealed.

[witchfan]

Impressions:

- That laugh....................
- If I hear Kujuou say how Victorique doesn't pay attention to corpses, while I haven't even seen him flinch, one more time...
- So what's up with the red lady pretending the door is locked? I didn't actually expect that trick to be used. :P
- I really wished Kujuo would get shot when he said "I won't let you!"
- Eliminating 7/10 of the suspects in 10 minutes was a pretty awkward move.

We all know who the "obvious" culprit is. Some circumstantial evidence:
- Being the first to wake up?
- Supposedly pretending the door was locked (one problem with that is her motive for doing so, but it's possible she wanted people to wait in the room until the lights off trick happened)
- Changing locations when the light switched from the door to near the ripped tapestry?

Plot implies it's either her, the actor, or both (although I can't entirely see how the actor is necessary for the mystery), as it were. If we examine the scene from a few years ago, we can see someone who resembles her, and someone who resembles him. The blond actor's angered response to Maurice is very in character, but might imply something else too. And hey, they're the only ones of right age (Btw, Saturn's note about the maid being one of them is spot on, too). The obvious conclusion is that one of them is, or both of them are, seeking an explanation, and revenge, for the events of several years ago. I don't like blaming the blond guy because he simply is not necessary for the crime as we understand it, so I'd say the red girl is most suspicious as sole culprit based on the information we currently have, but it's nowhere near conclusive.

In any case, they both have *something* special to do with this. If you think about it, they're the only young characters that were invited intentionally.

In other news, the hare thing is probably going to become the big mystery of the series, after the boat situation is solved.

Of course, I'm the anime format probably eliminates /ton/ of evidence, and makes things a lot more difficult to discern, so I'm not sure we're really able to come up with proper theories at present, unless someone clever notes something really out of place.

[aeriolewinters]

The pacing was quite okay for me, and as someone who's read nothing of the LN, I'm still hooked, mostly because of the cliffhanger + victorique's usual antics. Still a good watch and is getting better by the episode, so I actually like that they're doing things, little-by-little.

[serenade_beta]

Spoiler for ep2:

Definitely a lot better than the first episode. The atmosphere and mystery both were a lot better. Though the crazy man's facial distortion was constantly entertaining.
Doesn't matter as much, but Victoria was cute.
...Really doesn't matter.

The protagonist........ Well, nevermind. Really lacking though...


I'm reminded of Neuro for some reason... Except maybe less "cartoon-y" and cool.

Originally Posted by Klashikari

That just shows the adaptation is lacking of this information. Why would people have to read the novels beforehand to understand the setup? That's really silly.
It is the responsibility of the scripters to make the adaptation self sufficient so newcomers would have the information needed. Otherwise, most adaptation wouldn't have any purpose considering it would just concern not even half of the audience.
That's a preposterous requirement.

This is so correct I had to quote it...

[Shyne]

I am quite impressed with this series so far. Victoique's laugh serious made me laugh XD