(CR) White Album (All Episodes, 1-26)

[Kaoru Chujo]

1. I thought the scene with Yuki and Eiji was played very well. And I don't come away feeling any less respect for Yuki. She was physically carried away -- for about two seconds -- by her concern for her mentor and friend. This is actually one of the realistic things among the unrealistic things in this show, lol. It doesn't necessarily mean she feels less for Touya or anything really romantic for Eiji, in my opinion. It could be the beginning of her realizing she no longer loves Touya -- or could make him feel okay about giving her up -- but more likely it could be the beginning of their real reunion, as they both realize they are like the air to each other. For better or worse.

2. That line about Yuki not being the air was translated differently in a Chinese sub I saw. Almost the opposite, as if Touya was feeling he never wanted to be separated from her again -- like "I missed having her atmosphere around me." I really don't know what it means and will appreciate hearing a Japanese speaker's interpretation: "Yuki ga kuuki ja nakunatteta." EDIT: I just checked 2channel, and some people think the statement is funny, and there is discussion about how to interpret it.

3. Touya said early on that Yuki wasn't a goddess, she was his "everyday." My own expectation is that he didn't really care about the goddesses, but more about the air he breathed. Until she got busy and he drifted away.

[Key Board]

I can't see why anyone would would root for Yuki and Touya to continue their relationship
The responsible ending is to break up and have a many years later reunion kind of ending.
Perhaps then, they could retry their relationship.

But now, they're bad for each other and more importantly they're not happy as couple.
It is naive to think things will magically get better after this.

If they continue their relationship I think this story will turn out to be a broken aesop.....
which maybe just might be the point... but who knows

That being said, this does not mean I would wish Touya on Rina, either. I do not wish him on anyone.
He needs to man up a lot.

And I don't wish Yuki on Eiji either. That's just asking for a scandal.

[-Sho-]

Well , now that Rina was poisonned .
When Touya will know this horrible news , he'll run for her and then emo part with sad Rina and big bang .

[golthin]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

2. That line about Yuki not being the air was translated differently in a Chinese sub I saw. Almost the opposite, as if Touya was feeling he never wanted to be separated from her again -- like "I missed having her atmosphere around me." I really don't know what it means and will appreciate hearing a Japanese speaker's interpretation: "Yuki ga kuuki ja nakunatteta." EDIT: I just checked 2channel, and some people think the statement is funny, and there is discussion about how to interpret it.

3. Touya said early on that Yuki wasn't a goddess, she was his "everyday." My own expectation is that he didn't really care about the goddesses, but more about the air he breathed. Until she got busy and he drifted away.

That is how understood. He said that Yuki is not longer his air, she dropped from his special spot and now it is just another of his goddesses.

[SaintessHeart]

It seems that Natsuko is the only one left who is able to sing. That fat guy and Tamaru will get their comeuppance in the end, definitely.

Spoiler for hazard guess:

Most likely in the end, M3 and Ogata productions will merge under the helm of a raspy-voiced Rina and their main product being Natsuko. Eiji will just go to jail, then Shinozuka probably retires to take care of Mana and Menou. That is probably the only thing she could do for her daughters after abandoning them for so long.

[Mentar]

Originally Posted by Key Board

I can't see why anyone would would root for Yuki and Touya to continue their relationship
The responsible ending is to break up and have a many years later reunion kind of ending.
Perhaps then, they could retry their relationship.

I wouldn't say that I'm "rooting" for them to continue their relationship, but I have the strange feeling that they WILL end up together. Why? Because both are nutcases which strangely match each other. In the second half, Yuki is so hardwired on him that it borders the hilarious. And no matter how many times he'd screw around with other Girls, Touya's thoughts would always drift back to Yuki. I bet that if someone asked him in ep24, he'd still say that he's with Yuki.

Another affinity I see is the amazing selfishness that both exhibit. They're both hung up on each other for purely selfish goals: They want each other for themselves. This is the "air" thought of Touya: It's there. You don't have to work for it. You don't have to care for it. It's yours to begin with. Who bothers to think about air?

Likewise, Yuki is panicking because what was hers all the time is now suddenly threatened. However, she doesn't try to understand WHY Touya kissed Rina (what hurt her the most because now she's bound to lose the two people most important to her), her world just crumbles, and how does she react? Not at all. She'll just wait until it magically fixes itself.

They're two of a kind. It would make sense to pair them up. I have no emotional investment in this at all, it's just a detached neutral observation. I may be wrong, but that's what I'd expect to happen.

But now, they're bad for each other and more importantly they're not happy as couple.
It is naive to think things will magically get better after this.

They never seemed to really _care_ (as in "taking care of") each other. It wasn't like that in the past. Why would it be a requirement now?

If they continue their relationship I think this story will turn out to be a broken aesop.....
which maybe just might be the point... but who knows

Right, let's wait and see.

That being said, this does not mean I would wish Touya on Rina, either. I do not wish him on anyone. He needs to man up a lot.

As funny as it sounds, he sure "manned" alot of girls lately, and I find it hilarious that everygirl and her mother feels the need to get into his pants. Even worse, even though they know that Touya doesn't have any real feelings for them, they'd still sleep with him and be content with that (see Haruka and Misaki). In other words, Touya's role has been "stud". Sounds manly enough for me.

Rina (who happens to be the only character in the show I positively empathize and root for) deserves something better. She deserves someone to positively _care_ for her, and who assists her in her life. In fact, the only character who showed any kind of genuine and _consistent_ care for her was Yuki.

If I could influence the outcome of the anime, I'd wish for Rina to team up with Natsuko and revitalize both of their careers (which I believe isn't unlikely). She should be smart enough to toss the bum to hell once she's over her lonely slump. She simply deserves better. Also, I hope for a reconciliation between Yuki and Rina (once Touya is settled).

And I don't wish Yuki on Eiji either. That's just asking for a scandal.

Actually, Yuki's rating didn't drop with me at all with the scene. I saw it as typically Yuki. When she is immediately confronted with pain, she DOES show genuine empathy. She's definitely kind in the truest meaning of the word, and this is what caused the scene. She saw Eiji in pain and did what she could to comfort him. It took her quite long to realize what she was really doing, and by then she reacted strongly.

Ah well. To me, alot of the story is about a lack of communication. Let's see where it ends.

[Mei19]

Originally Posted by Mentar

I wouldn't say that I'm "rooting" for them to continue their relationship, but I have the strange feeling that they WILL end up together.

Ahhh I get offended when I hear that.

YukixEiji kiss? That's called tasting heaven before going to hell. XD Hmm...gotta catch up.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by Mentar

...Ah well. To me, a lot of the story is about a lack of communication....

Bingo! That puts things in perspective, all right. It's interesting that we just got the fullest interpersonal communication of the entire show: between the unlikely pair of Rina and Kanzaki.

I find myself sympathizing with just about everyone except Tamura and his henchman, myself, however. Even hitherto-compulsive Touya. It must be a feature of my own psychology that I feel more for Yuki than for Rina (up to now): they are both in difficulty, but Rina can take care of herself (I think). Reminds me of my inexplicable-to-some preference for Ranka over Sheryl.

The animation here has been fairly whacked, but I did think that this image was very powerful:

Spoiler for image:

She looks back over her life and does not like what she sees.

I do still think Yuki and Touya will end up together, but the tragedy of discovering they are not meant for each other would be cool, too. However, for the moment, I'm going to interpret Touya's remark about air as meaning that he realizes there is more to Yuki than just being the air around him -- or else that he misses having that air. Especially since Menou remarks in the background something like: "Oh, here comes the real thing."

EDIT: Good comments about Rina by willyvereb, following this post.

[Zwei]

It's funny that before this episode, White Album wouldn't get more than 10 posts on /a/. And then suddenly while lurking around.....

Spoiler:

[willyvereb]

The problem is: While Rina is strong and can make her way trhough problems, but he's lonely that way. She hardly has anyone to support her and that's what she somehow found in Touya. While Yuki has and will always going to have people to rely on. This is a matter of personality. While Rina acts friendly and helps out everyone she can she builds up an invisible wall also and doesn't really want to rely on anyone.

The Macross Frontier reference is excellent comparsion. Ranka was always dependent on someone and was unable to do anything on her own. But also by her charm she also always had friends to rely on. Sheryl on the other hand was a confident but lonely star who refused the help of others even when her life went completely downhill.

Rina gets cornered in the same way. Her brother didn't really show much care for her, her best friend's problematic relationship in which she actively offered her help and got involved in, the constant pressure, her transfer to m3, being neglected by her company, the crumbling company and now the acid drink.
Just as her hope to get to the Venus Festival is almost happen that acidic drink would probably mess up her vocal cords and maybe even ruin her whole career.
It isn't as drastical as Sheryl's case as Yuki's problems are nowhere near to Ranka's, but I guess the same thing happens as with Sheryl: throws away her mask and reveals how wounded and vulnerable she really is.

I don't know if it would have the same effect on Touya as it was on Alto though...

But there's another question: If Yuki loses Touya then what happens to her?
She would be depressed but also learns her lesson the hard way. Focuses on her career and succeed. And despite her bad experience I doubt she would close her heart as an answer so as time goes by she would be alright for sure.

Then what if Rina loses Touya?
Her career is in ruins, she has no one to rely on. She remains as lonely as she was at the start. Knowing her she probably would think out a new way to live, but her regret of singing career would cause a pernament scar.


Well, I know it isn't about who needs Touya the most so...we'll see.

[Freeter]

Originally Posted by Zwei

It's funny that before this episode, White Album wouldn't get more than 10 posts on /a/. And then suddenly while lurking around.....

Spoiler:

About time /a/ got on the bandwagon. Their live threads for Geass R2 were hilarious.

[willyvereb]

Also I have to add Rina being "cold" about the death of Touya's dad is actually perfectly reasonable...Rina knew nothing of him and so she has no justification to say anything about him. All she can do to show her sorry and leave the consoling of Touya to others.

I had a feeling she would do it like that, but believed the story might calls for a more emotional scene...
Well, anyways if Rina won't pull out something really good in the next episode then we can almost clearly say that she isn't going to end up with him by any chance.

[Cinocard]

Originally Posted by Key Board

Oh that's just horrible..

Episode 24

Spoiler:

It seems that Tamaru may have ordered that fat asshole flunky that he has to spike Rina's drinking water with acid. She was coughing painfully after drinking that. I fear that her voice cord may have been damaged.

Seems to me it wasn't the fatso, but that megane stalker of Menou who poisoned Rina. Most important, he was the focus around 21:15 scene. But the fatty also looked frighten and surprising enough when he looked through the door and seeing Rina on the floor. Plus, if he were the culprit, it wouldn't make sense for such a coward to go back to the scene and suspiciously peaking on his victim like that.

[Sinestra]

Originally Posted by Cinocard

Seems to me it wasn't the fatso, but that megane stalker of Menou who poisoned Rina. Most important, he was the focus around 21:15 scene. But the fatty also looked frighten and surprising enough when he looked through the door and seeing Rina on the floor. Plus, if he were the culprit, it wouldn't make sense for such a coward to go back to the sense and suspiciously peaking on his victim like that.

I agree the look of terror in fatso's face tells me he is not the one that did it. I think the likely suspect is Menou's stalker. Im really worried about what exactly they poisoned her with it look super painful i know some people said acid which im hoping its not, acid could kill her or cause permanent damage. Looks like Yuki will be the only going to the Venus festival.

Im really wondering what Menou meant with that comment she shot Yuki at the end. Its obvious that Menou does not want to let "Touya be taken from her" as she stated when Touya asked why she did all of this. shes got a strong will and seems like shes not going to let anyone including Yuki have Touya with a fight. But her comment was aimed directly at Yuki like she had been waiting for her all this time and now its time to get a few things straight. Could Menou be the very first goddess? which is why she feels she is very special amongst all the goddess.

[matteas]

Spoiler for Spoiler for ep 24:

WTF? Master talked?!

The Eiji x Yuki scene was really great and made me jump up on my chair. I hoped she would go on and it will end up in a similar way like Touya x Shinozuka. I really wanted to see "defiled" Yuki. I don't like her at all anymore. Maybe I didn't like her from the very beginning.

Menou is another bitch-goddess and she pisses me off. Even only a glance at her face eats at me.

The sole character I like in WA is Rina - and Master of course but I don't count him - so if anything serious happened to her, it would bewilder me a lot. Those bastards who are behind that drink-poisoning or whatever it was need a stern chastisement.

This anime is nothing but madness now. Everything is strange, almost everyone is acting like a mental, and what makes me laugh is the fact that it seems that all the characters create a very complex and mysterious, as if artificially constructed, net of all kinds of chains and bonds between each other. Yet, the madness of WA is most likely the main reason I'm able to enjoy watching it. I wonder what ending is awaiting us.

[Sinestra]

Originally Posted by matteas

Spoiler for Spoiler for ep 24:

WTF? Master talked?!

The Eiji x Yuki scene was really great and made me jump up on my chair. I hoped she would go on and it will end up in a similar way like Touya x Shinozuka. I really wanted to see "defiled" Yuki. I don't like her at all anymore. Maybe I didn't like her from the very beginning.

Menou is another bitch-goddess and she pisses me off. Even only a glance at her face eats at me.

The sole character I like in WA is Rina - and Master of course but I don't count him - so if anything serious happened to her, it would bewilder me a lot. Those bastards who are behind that drink-poisoning or whatever it was need a stern chastisement.

This anime is nothing but madness now. Everything is strange, almost everyone is acting like a mental, and what makes me laugh is the fact that it seems that all the characters create a very complex and mysterious, as if artificially constructed, net of all kinds of chains and bonds between each other. Yet, the madness of WA is most likely the main reason I'm able to enjoy watching it. I wonder what ending is awaiting us.

For some reason i get the distinct feeling you dont like Menou

[Cinocard]

Originally Posted by Sinestra

I agree the look of terror in fatso's face tells me he is not the one that did it. I think the likely suspect is Menou's stalker. Im really worried about what exactly they poisoned her with it look super painful i know some people said acid which im hoping its not, acid could kill her or cause permanent damage. Looks like Yuki will be the only going to the Venus festival.

Im really wondering what Menou meant with that comment she shot Yuki at the end. Its obvious that Menou does not want to let "Touya be taken from her" as she stated when Touya asked why she did all of this. shes got a strong will and seems like shes not going to let anyone including Yuki have Touya with a fight. But her comment was aimed directly at Yuki like she had been waiting for her all this time and now its time to get a few things straight. Could Menou be the very first goddess? which is why she feels she is very special amongst all the goddess.

And Touya will feel very responsible for Rina's accident. Only if he hadn't got it on the other night with Haruka.

About Menou, I think it's quite clear she's the one who will bring back the past that Touya has forgotten. She has been observing the unfold of events, till this night when the most important actress, Yuki, comes to Touya crying. Her statement about Yuki is the real one corresponds to Touya's Yuki is not the air. He realizes Yuki would not be always around him, and be entirely for him, when she mentioned the name Ogata Eiji.

In the end, the conclusion to the story still depends entirely on what happened in that forest. So gay.

[AbSoLuTeMiKe]

I actually liked Touya a bit this episode.

He seemed a bit more laid back- a kind of "look at the shit I got my penis into." I gots ta chill.

He didn't do anything with Menou wow. At first it seemed to be that maybe he wanted to try and forget all the shit and make things work with Yuki.

However, fellas, could it be; Touya x Menou. I don't know about her past, her involvement.

Isn't it funny? She knows pretty much everything now, except for the Touya x Shinozuka part.

Seeming to me, Touya x Menou, Touya x Alone or something along those lines.

Also, what do you mean what happened in the forest?

also: LOL @ Master, and Yuki. yare yare~

[DragoZERO]

That was crazy!!

I'm sure I'm repeating stuff, but I'm still going to say them...

• Akira was barely hurt...boring. And I guess Touya does value him as a friend.

• Where the hell did Ei-chan get charged with crimes? That came out of no where.

• MASTER TALKED! And he set Rina up with the cigarette thing! Oh snap!

• Rina knew about Touya's father...that sure was uneventful. I wonder if Yuki knows.

• DON'T KISS HIM YUKI!! NOOOO!! My heart literally stopped in those few seconds. I thank god that she stopped. I don't know what I would have done if they had slept together.

• I'm thoroughly surprised that Touya didn't sleep with Menou.

• Tamaru and Fasto need to go down. Hurting Rina-chan - to hell you go.

• And Yuki shows up at his place after all this time? And now she doesn't feel the same to him either!? This is too good.


TWO EPISODES LEFT!!

[kyosak]

Sorry to derail.

Anyone know how I can access the torrent for episode 23 subbed by that Tomodachi group? It says it's inactive or something?