Shuffle! Episode 24 Discussion

[Vexx]

((aieee, web client burp I guess, sorry))

[npal]

There's something wrong with Vexx's post, they are multiplying!

It's a forum virus!!!

[somenoobie]

YAAAAAAAAAAY!!! despite a semi-stinky final episode, it really did shock me!!

I finally worked up the courage to watch the final episode - all this time i was thinking that the Handkerchief Man would finally kill Rin himself! because the regular endcredits showed everyone crying, i had a feeling that Rin would die and noone would have him

Im so glad he didnt get killed! and I agree with Rimu-chan about Rin's final act. Rin was all about trying to make everyone happy, so when he could not make Asasempai better he would rather be dead.

[npal]

The H-man killing Rin would have been much more interesting to watch :P I almost hoped he would

[tetsuo69]

Originally Posted by npal

Yeah well, the former goes for me to, first I watched it for the occassional harem/comedy element, but after say ep 16, it seemed to hold more potential, then there was Kaede's arc, which shined, and they messed it up for their Asa ending, which was still badly written. So, while I won't be watching the series again probably, I'm not gonna throw the precious download time I gave Shuffle. I'll keep it as a reminder of how a good series can turn bad in ONE episode

i'm low on DVds so i dont really mind

I finally worked up the courage to watch the final episode - all this time i was thinking that the Handkerchief Man would finally kill Rin himself! because the regular endcredits showed everyone crying, i had a feeling that Rin would die and noone would have him

it would had been great if that idiot had die Rofl XD

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by tetsuo69

it would had been great if that idiot had die Rofl XD

If Rin got killed of in the final episode.. i still think i'd be crying over it now~

[Vexx]

It would have been a much deeper series... I'm mixed with feelings about the whole thing. It would probably have been better if the series had stuck to the light-hearted comedy romance angle with the main seriousness left to the Nerine/Prim arc and Sia's conversations with herself -- then finished off with a semi-polygamous ending (Asa "winning" but the other girls not slacking off because they aren't convinced Asa was the best choice... wait.. thats kind of what seems to be happening in the last half of the episode... but its like throwing the series into reverse).
Bleh.. there are like 3 pretty good story arcs that the series *could* have taken but instead they took all three and pureed them together.
Ah well.. watching the series up to ep 21 is not too irritating .... up to Kaede and Asa under the bridge and then you can just see the writer's hitting the brakes on the intensity.... after that --- even Asa's bullheaded stupidity and Rin's sacrificial act seems muddled.

[Tiberium Wolf]

I just saw the ep24 and Jesus... the animation sux big time. The latest eps were bad but ep 24 was the worst. So badly drawn.

[npal]

Originally Posted by Tiberium Wolf

I just saw the ep24 and Jesus... the animation sux big time. The latest eps were bad but ep 24 was the worst. So badly drawn.

I have this theory. Let's say that the "more-or-less" A animating team worked for most of the episodes and made 24 of those based on the crappy Shuffle script. Ok, we have 24 made episodes and they begin to air. After ep 21, there is a general discontent about the whole Kaede-Rin-Asa resolution, so the only thing they could do is get another animating team working for one week on an alternative half for episode 24 and move a bit back to the classic harem anime ending (ok I picked a girl, but all others are free to keep trying). Needless to say, they messed the animation pretty bad cause they were in a rush

IF my theory were true :
1. The writers actually CONSIDERED the fans (which they didn't) so they tried to give SOMETHING better in the ending (well, the second half of episode 24 WAS bearable in terms of script, it was even good at times -> see Ama-Two Kings encounter).
2. Episode 24 had a much more crappy ending (I can't even comprehend how crappy that had to be to be redesigned, considering how the whole series fell apart from ep 21 and on).

Oh well, guess the mystery of Shuffle failure will remain unsolved.

[andiyar]

@npal.

As far as I know, they tend to animate the show in the week before they air, they don't just animate them all in one go. I'm thinking that the animation for the last half of episode 24 was as bad as it was more for budget reasons than for anything else. Normally I'd assume that the artists and animators make several series of drawings for each shot and then pick the best and work with that. This episode looks like they simply drew once and then animated - first takes, as it were. They probably couldn't afford to keep the animation/artist team in the building for long enough to do a proper finish, so they just paid them for a single day of animating :/

That's what it looks like, anyway.


-Andiyar

[Shabazza]

I'm kinda sad that they only made 24 episodes.
Every single arc and every single character should have taken much more time. That way you only get a summary of them.

I still don't get Asa's point about not using magic. She does recognize that everyone is worried about her and still she thinks not-using-magic would be the better way?

They could also give at least some hints about the future of the other girls (don't you see Nerine/Sia grown up in the opening? It seems like they are queens of their own realms).

I didn't played the game or read the manga but could someone tell me if the manga continues the story?

[Vexx]

The manga is still in progress .. but it was not released until the series was underway so its still *behind* the series in the storyline.
game->series->manga.
There are also some novels (mostly text) ... as well as a manga series of short stories done by a variety of artists (one was a short drawn in Mahoraba-style.... Sia was "teh Kyute").

No one else with a clue about storywriting can follow Asa's reasoning either. Its just a lame bit of writing --- and to some degree is the same in the game.

Aye, some kind of "one year later" epilogue might have been nice (like Nanoha A finished with). I suspect with Shuffle's "full reverse" ending (we're going to pursue Rin even though he turned us down and he's committed to Asa... wtf???) that they're shelving it for now while Soul Link is in production and they may revisit it later in the summer if the merchandise sales look good.

Sometimes I watch an anime and it has a fabulous premise, stellar characters, and great start... then they bring in a bunch of junior high students who flunked story composition to do parts of the series. Parts of Shuffle! were written very well... parts weren't... which is not fair to the wonderful characters.

[pianocello]

Originally Posted by Vexx

I think the scenes I liked the most (staying positive here):

Spoiler:

Sia - Kaede kiss ..... whatever it actually means, I imagine Kaede sat in the hot tub for hours afterwards pondering...

)

I'm surprised that we haven't been getting a lot of Kaede x Sia yuri fanfics/fanart. They should make an OAV spinoff featuring the two of them in the style of Kannaduki no Miko.

[Shiroth]

Hmm.. i've been thinking for a few days now.. if Rin actually died at the end of the story after he cut himself.

Its strange, there's no way i'd want Rin to have died.. but it would have kind of made a nice ending, in a way saying No girl can have him in a strange kind of way.

[npal]

Originally Posted by Angelsama

Hmm.. i've been thinking for a few days now.. if Rin actually died at the end of the story after he cut himself.

Its strange, there's no way i'd want Rin to have died.. but it would have kind of made a nice ending, in a way saying No girl can have him in a strange kind of way.

Oh goodie, we agree on that. And I wouldn't be hating Rin that much either, if he had died. Oh well... But life is cruel, people don't die when you want them too

[Wrath88]

Originally Posted by npal

But life is cruel, people don't die when you want them too

It's the curse of anime. The characters who are either villains, or those that you want to die, never do. (Pokemon: Team Rocket, goddamn annoying idiots with their stupid motto)

[Shiroth]

I'm not saying i want him to die.. and you guys saying that he should, i don't truly understand.

The mans a legend in my eyes, he did everything and even more that a normal person couldn't have, respect is what i give Rin~

Though it would have been a good ending imo, the happy one was good and all.. but in my eyes it could have been a lot more in depth then just everyone being happy.

[wingdarkness]

It's funny that the first thing Rin does of his own freewill (in the entire series it seems) is try and kill himself XP...He shoulda tried that around ep 1 XD...But seriously he even needed Ama's help to figure that out...

For the life of me though I just don't understand how braindead and aloof Asa had to be to not use her magic based on the explanation she gave...It was beyond stupid..I thought the writers were somehow trying to make fun of me by thinking I should let that slide...

Well atleast Kaede is happy I guess because "Asa-sempai gave her permission to still love Rin..."

[npal]

Originally Posted by wingdarkness

It's funny that the first thing Rin does of his own freewill (in the entire series it seems) is try and kill himself XP...He shoulda tried that around ep 1 XD...But seriously he even needed Ama's help to figure that out...

For the life of me though I just don't understand how braindead and aloof Asa had to be to not use her magic based on the explanation she gave...It was beyond stupid..I thought the writers were somehow trying to make fun of me by thinking I should let that slide...

Well atleast Kaede is happy I guess because "Asa-sempai gave her permission to still love Rin..."

Second that. And glory to the boxcutter, Rin finally returned to his instrument of adoration

Yeah, there COULD have been an adequate reason, but the writers don't know what decent script means apparently It's one thing that Asa doesn't use magic, but the reason given was too weak to be considered effective. But of course, that was said multiple times but some people can't seem to get it

Kaede's mentality works in mysterious ways. I'd loathe them both for all this situation. Kaede is so nice, though

[peterchen620]

Originally Posted by npal

Kaede is so nice, though

And yet, they ruined her entire character at the end. Hail the legendary boxcutter! Oh wait... How did the boxcutter get into Rin's pocket in the first place anyway? Something tells me that the boxcutter comes from Kaede, and was used for box cutting at Rin's new apartment.... But why oh why would you have the boxcutter in your pocket?