Angel Beats! - Episode 10 Discussion / Poll

[risingstar3110]

OK, that's it. It's RAGE time!!

Those who are sensitive to director 's bash should stop reading from here unless your doctor advice otherwise. You have been warned


Seriously, wtf was the director of this god damn anime thinking? Built up a comedic relief character, gave her some roles in every comedy event. Then cook up some "instant noodles" love screen before disposing her through some lame fantasy dream for the sake of some cheap drama?
Is it really that funny to see a clown being run over by a truck right before his short-gun wedding?

Or was this rushing due to the pacing of a 1-cour series?
Hmmm... ok... how's about don't freaking head into that direction if you can't develop a decent love story with the time constraint then? Loving attention much? Just rid 60% of Yui screen time and put more Kanede's moe on, surely that will still work up your popularity. Just like K-on... See... work like magic

Good lord. You failed in ep 6. It's getting worse in ep 10. With that trend, if this series have 14 episodes, the ending must have a bunch of rushed drama

[panzerfan]

K-on has, on the other hand, been brutally honest with itself, by being a moe moe through and through. It will take more than a half-hearted effort to advertise Tachibana as such, let along to topple the HTT juggernauts. Kitten320 is pretty much right on apple masquerading as oranges.

We've beaten the pacing issue to a bloody pulp and bemoan the squandering of potential. Having said that, it is not as if this episode totally failed to emotionally connect with people... I for one felt sympathetic by Yui's plights as a quadriplegic.

[kitten320]

Comparing K-On and Angel Beats is dumb, those two are completly different shows.
K-ON never was seriouse, it was basicly about normal people who have a dream but re too lazy to realize it at this point.
While Angel Beats is all about emotions, regrets and actually trying to achieve your dreams without slacking.

[Haak]

He's not comparing the genres. He's saying ones being true to it's core and not pretending to be anything else whilst the other is masquerading as something it's not (it's thinking it's a deep drama, when it's really a mindless comedy). I think it's a valid argument, though I consider it false because I think that's because of the pacing and it seems to be trying too many things at once

[rejer]

Is K-on still popular? After watching the first four eps of the second season I decided to drop it for a while. It isn't that interesting anymore.
For example AngelBeats! has more hits when compared to that of K-on! on Pixiv.

[Haak]

Originally Posted by rejer

Is K-on still popular?

Hahahah. Hahahah....AHAHAHAHAHAHA!

God you're funny.

[rejer]

Originally Posted by Haak

Hahahah. Hahahah....AHAHAHAHAHAHA!

God you're funny.

Well, I meant it in another way but w/e

AB! is your classic Key work. It doesn't pretend to be anything else. Key's other works also had the same elements as AB!.

[skyy54264]

Originally Posted by XGeneral2000

Man, it's episodes like this that make me think of how much potential this show has.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think Angel Beats is a terrible show, but in my eyes, it is clearly suffering from a pacing problem. It's as if they're trying to fit a 24-26 episode anime into 13.

Maybe KEY is going to pull a Kanon again and remake the series 4 years later with 26 episodes lol.

[guuchan]

Originally Posted by Sigsig

I think she means that they'll split up or something, nothing deep implied here (like disappearing and hoping to meet in reality)
And its probably to show at least 2 episodes on this, and last episode on revelations maybe?

Yeah, I thought about the possibility too that everyone (or a specific someone if Yuri is saying it to a certain person) was just sent onto a mission separately, but even if that is the case, it implies something critical is going to happen afterwards. Call me overthinking, but check out all the final lines in previous previews. None of them was pulled randomly from the next episode, they were all from major scenes.

Originally Posted by rejer

Is K-on still popular? After watching the first four eps of the second season I decided to drop it for a while. It isn't that interesting anymore.
For example AngelBeats! has more hits when compared to that of K-on! on Pixiv.

Originally Posted by Haak

Hahahah. Hahahah....AHAHAHAHAHAHA!

God you're funny.

Lol. Now now, don't be mean. When 1234567 CDs have been released for a series and still going, you know that series has become a brand name, and that usually gives me a negative feeling towards the series.

Back on topic, does Angel Beats suffer pace problem? Well, yes, of course, with that many characters and 13 episodes. But why rage on an objective reason that has been decided from the very beginning? That's definitely not the writer's or the director's fault, we should all know that. Given the resources and constraints, they are doing a superb job here. Think about it, the individual storylines presented here are nothing new: running into accidental death before getting to fulfill one's dream, being paralyzed and hence missing out everything in the world, etc. If you break them down that way, they are really old stories. However, the show can still get you emotionally attached to what its presenting somehow and it has to be achieved within an extremely short time frame too, isn't that amazing enough?

[Antiscian]

I've personally never thought the comedy in Angel Beats was overdone. Sometimes not completely to my taste, but never overdone.
From a dramatic perspective, comedy scenes in general serve as a great contrast to the tragic, and the combination of the two within the same scene improves the potency of both; this was a technique commonly used in Shakespeare as well (Forgive me for trying to compare anime with Shakespeare, but the point is there).
As is sometimes said, the only difference between a comedy and a tragedy is whether the ending is happy or sad.

For a lot of the episode, I do admit I was thinking that there seemed to be an excessive amount of comedy for the most part, but after watching the ending it made me realise just how necessary it all was.
Yui was the energy of the show, she was one of the main sources of good cheer, positive energy and having fun, pretty much embodying the easygoing attitude that a lot of the cast had been taking so far, and the majority of the episode shows just how important the aspect of fun is to their daily life. And it was then we're hit with the powerful shot of Hinata desolately standing in front of the empty baseball helment, and we're hit with the realisation that Yui and everything she represented is now gone.

However, by no means is she a purely comic relief character; I don't think you would feel the full effect of her final moments if you only thought of her as such. She never let it show, but over the course of this episode you realise how desperately she was chasing her dreams on her own, which gives all her actions a genuine motive. All her time, she sought after a world she'd seen on television because her own isolated life had nothing, and that's where Hinata comes in to tell her she doesn't need to chase such faraway pleasures when even her restricted life was capable of feeling happiness.

And on a final point, yes, Hinata's confession was a bit out of the blue, but I'd like to agree with an interpretation I'd seen somewhere else:
"Hinata genuinely and deeply cared for Yui," (Which I believe is adequately shown over the course of the show) "but he had no time to develop romantic feelings for her. However, he realises what an amazing person she is, and acknowledges the fact that if they were to meet in real life, he would definitely be capable of falling in love with her and supporting her". It's almost not a romance scene; merely the case of a friendship so strong that even love is within their grasp.


Personal thoughts:
I'm sure you can tell, but I feel Yui's last moments really made the episode great - this is potentially one of the best emotional scenes I've seen in a Key animation (Yes, I've watched Clannad/Kanon/etc). That alone deserves to make this episode a 10.

[MaxMaximilianMaximus]

Yui's last moment was average for me. What really make me cry is the music.

Anyway, I hope this "shadow" isn't one of Tenshi's skill went haywire again (possible, Otonashi did tell her to make a wings after all)

[XGeneral2000]

Originally Posted by guuchan

Back on topic, does Angel Beats suffer pace problem? Well, yes, of course, with that many characters and 13 episodes. But why rage on an objective reason that has been decided from the very beginning? That's definitely not the writer's or the director's fault, we should all know that. Given the resources and constraints, they are doing a superb job here. Think about it, the individual storylines presented here are nothing new: running into accidental death before getting to fulfill one's dream, being paralyzed and hence missing out everything in the world, etc. If you break them down that way, they are really old stories. However, the show can still get you emotionally attached to what its presenting somehow and it has to be achieved within an extremely short time frame too, isn't that amazing enough?

I wouldn't argue that given that AB has only 13 episodes to go off of, they've done a pretty good job with it. I guess my question is: what was the rationale behind making the series only 13 episodes in the first place? Were they afraid it wouldn't sell or be popular (testing the waters)? Because if that's the case, I don't really see why they'd be worried; I'd think that the fact that it has Key behind it would be enough (that's why I started watching the show myself). Is there some other reason I'm not aware of?

And on the subject of comedy, I'm a fan of Key's sense of humor. I loved the comedy in their previous works, and I understand the importance of the juxtaposition of comedy and tragedy; without it, their shows would just be a huge emo angst-fest, which wouldn't be interesting, It's just that in the case of AB, I don't think they really have the time to be using as much as they are now. The amount of comedy in Ep 10 would have been appropriate - had Yui been given 2 episodes. Given that she has only one, I wish they had spent more time on the serious stuff.

[kitten320]

Originally Posted by rejer

Is K-on still popular? After watching the first four eps of the second season I decided to drop it for a while. It isn't that interesting anymore.
For example AngelBeats! has more hits when compared to that of K-on! on Pixiv.

Duno, second season actually took a better turn by turning a 2D world from first season into so called 3D world...

For better comparison K-ON 1 was happening in Sims 2 while K-ON 2 happens in Sims 3 version...

[Spiritual]

Originally Posted by MaxMaximilianMaximus

Yui's last moment was average for me. What really make me cry is the music.

Anyway, I hope this "shadow" isn't one of Tenshi's skill went haywire again (possible, Otonashi did tell her to make wings after all)

Heh, he might as well have said "I want my women with wings, damn it". Adding her new claw extension might have done it as well if programming was screwed again.

I actually really enjoyed the episode till the Hinata interruption, and not because of him. Someone pointed out about her willingness to ask Ootanashi to marry her, but then she accepted Hinata like it was the drop of the hat. Given that she was young and she seems still in puppy love, I dunno whether to fault it or not but it still rubs me the wrong way.

[kitten320]

Didn't look random to me.
At that point she simply wanted to get married, it didn't matter with whom and Otonashi was the only one there around and if take in account that he was trying to help this whole time...

She had been interested in Hinata for a long time, just take a look at episode with evil Tenshis'. Even Otonashi had asked her if she really hates him.

It didn't matter with whom to get married, just the fact of being married. But being married to someone she actually likes surely sounds better.

Though I wouldn't call marriage everyone's girls' dream like she did

[skyy54264]

Originally Posted by Spiritual

I actually really enjoyed the episode till the Hinata interruption, and not because of him. Someone pointed out about her willingness to ask Ootanashi to marry her, but then she accepted Hinata like it was the drop of the hat.

It more that she was putting him in a hypothetical situation. There wasn't any romance love between Otonashi and Yui. While Otonashi was saying it's possible for her to be happy, her retort was asking him to marry her. I guess the scene would've been more effective is she asked "would you marry (a handicapped girl like) me" rather than "will you marry me". Of course Hinata jumps in and saves the day because there's has been development between them.

[guuchan]

Originally Posted by Spiritual

I actually really enjoyed the episode till the Hinata interruption, and not because of him. Someone pointed out about her willingness to ask Ootanashi to marry her, but then she accepted Hinata like it was the drop of the hat. Given that she was young and she seems still in puppy love, I dunno whether to fault it or not but it still rubs me the wrong way.

Meh. All lines are connected to each other, if only we can all go back a few lines from time to time, I think we can get to see to each other points much easier that way.

Yui was saying who would take her and God had deprived her of all her happiness, then Otonashi gave the standard response of "that's not... true", that's why Yui asked him if he would marry her. It's kind of like a rhetorical question. Otonashi's then reaction should be within Yui's expectation.

[Spiritual]

Originally Posted by kitten320

Didn't look random to me.
At that point she simply wanted to get married, it didn't matter with whom and Otonashi was the only one there around and if take in account that he was trying to help this whole time...

She had been interested in Hinata for a long time, just take a look at episode with evil Tenshis'. Even Otonashi had asked her if she really hates him.

It didn't matter with whom to get married, just the fact of being married. But being married to someone she actually likes surely sounds better.

Though I wouldn't call marriage everyone's girls' dream like she did

lol I agree, which is why I thought it would be better if she asked Hinata instead of Otanashi. I didn't say it was random though, so I dunno what you mean by that.

Since I don't understand the wanting to be married just for the sake of it, its the reason I said I dunno whether to fault her for it or not.

She watched too many Cinderella stories, is all. Think of how sensationalized t.v. is!

Edit: Guess I missed that the question was pure rhetoric. I fail guys and gals. >.< But she doesn't seem to be someone to make use of rhetoric, specially given the way she was during the show.

[kitten320]

Well as you said she was watching too much TV and was paralyzed for biggest part. Her look on the world will be different from most normal people like us.

Any air head can be serouse, but I know what you mean.

Since I don't understand the wanting to be married just for the sake of it basicly same as I don't understand the whole want to get married at all. But that depends on person.

When people get desperate, they don't really care about such things like "to whom to get married", just the fact of marriage.

[Klashikari]

That is not only depending of the person, but also culture.
Although you have more and more independant women in Japan, the so called "cliché" of the housewife is something that a lot of women consider is as natural, or even contemplate that situation.
Not being married is basically a good ticket to feel like "not being sold", if you allow me this crude expression they usually use.

In various demographic context, being married is an achievement by itself, and also a step forward as a man/father/woman/mother.
In Yui's case, her own image was not really of a woman, considering she always saw herself as a burden. You can say that because of her "alive but not so alive" status, it just made her to be desired, which demonstrates that she want to be necessary and seen as a girl, and not some luggage.