(CR) Engage Kiss

[Shinji103]

Originally Posted by stray

I'm not asking for action scenes here, I'm asking for competent world building. The overall setting went from confusing to just kinda stupid while the story went all in on melodrama.

They've already started with world building, though it’s more about the immediate area and city/political setup than the whole world. Which is perfectly fine, we don’t need to know about how the U.S. or Russia or China is doing in a 12-episode anime original series. This isn’t based off a 20+ volume light novel, unless you want them to instead pack in too much stuff.
Date A Live is a popular LN and anime in Japan (which you probably at least already heard of since it just aired last season and the character artist Tsunako of this series did the character art for DAL too) which did little to nothing about world building and is still a great story and one of Fantasia Bunko’s top-selling LN since Slayers.
And I don’t see what’s confusing about the current setting, which they could still build up a bit more in the next couple episodes. But from the beginning of the series concept announcement, they’ve made it clear that Engage x Kiss is mainly about our trio. That’s where the focus of the story is, everything else is just background.

Again, this isn’t a 10 or 20 volume Isekai LN adaptation. In my opinion it’s a good thing they’re keeping the focus squarely on what they said the series would be about instead of stuffing in loads of world building and other unnecessary stuff that will ruin the telling of our trio’s story. We have longer-running titles such as GATE for world building and such.

[stray]

I don't think you understand what worldbuilding means so here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldbuilding

Originally Posted by Shinji103

But from the beginning of the series concept announcement, they’ve made it clear that Engage x Kiss is mainly about our trio.

Its mainly about a mobile game too, in the end.

[bakato]

Judging from the preview, it looks like Kisara's gonna confess to Ayano. The fact that Kisara feels such remorse over what she's costing Shu and Ayano really gives depth to her love for Shu. It's not the cheap possessive kind, but the real one that considers the feelings of the partner.

[Shinji103]

Originally Posted by stray

I don't think you understand what worldbuilding means so here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldbuilding

That’s kinda the worldbuilding I was thinking of. Is this supposed to make me look like I don’t know what I’m talking about?
We don’t need large-scale worldbuilding that talks about the rest of the world in a 12-episode anime. If that’s not what you intended to mean, then good. But story has already started setting up the city the anime takes place in, however they haven’t gone deep into it yet and I say they shouldn’t nor need to, especially when the main focus is intended to be the main trio in this short series. Many good and great animes/titles don’t build up the rest of the world around the main story.

Its mainly about a mobile game too, in the end.

How does that change that the anime’s story is about the main trio? The anime will probably lead into the mobile game. But if the anime ends as tragically as people are predicting, it might not lead in very directly at all, I.e. we know Kisara will be in the mobile game but if the anime ends with her dying/disappearing, the game will obviously have to be a parallel/alternate story and not a direct sequel. Although the fact that the game will introduce a character, who by all indications won’t be in the anime, already suggests the game might be a parallel/alternate story.

[stray]

Originally Posted by Shinji103

That’s kinda the worldbuilding I was thinking of. Is this supposed to make me look like I don’t know what I’m talking about?

IDK dude I'm not the one talking about Russia or China or whatever you think "world building" implies. I'm not asking the setting to be vast, just saying that it needs to be coherent, which IMO it isn't.

[Shinji103]

Originally Posted by stray

IDK dude I'm not the one talking about Russia or China or whatever. I'm not asking the setting to be vast, just saying that it needs to be coherent, which IMO it isn't.

Refer to my previous post, I edited in parts I forgot to say that answered this.

Originally Posted by Shinji103

We don’t need large-scale worldbuilding that talks about the rest of the world in a 12-episode anime. If that’s not what you intended to mean, then good. But story has already started setting up the city the anime takes place in, however they haven’t gone deep into it yet and I say they shouldn’t nor need to, especially when the main focus is intended to be the main trio in this short series.

Obviously the political corruption thing and wherever they’re going with the mayor is something that they’re going to do, of course. But I hope they don’t bog the story down with it and take away from our three leads.

But what are you saying isn’t coherent about the worldbuilding? It’s only been three episodes into a story that’s mostly focused on these three characters, not the worldbuilding of the city.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by bakato

Judging from the preview, it looks like Kisara's gonna confess to Ayano. The fact that Kisara feels such remorse over what she's costing Shu and Ayano really gives depth to her love for Shu. It's not the cheap possessive kind, but the real one that considers the feelings of the partner.

To be honest I was kind of wondering how genuine Kisara's feelings for Shu are in light of the fact that she's, well, a demon who consumes his memories and she knows she's not the one he loves, but it definitely feels like she cares for him (and Ayano in her own way) despite that.

I'm really curious to see how Ayano proceeds moving forward...

[Shinji103]

Originally Posted by Frontier

To be honest I was kind of wondering how genuine Kisara's feelings for Shu are in light of the fact that she's, well, a demon who consumes his memories and she knows she's not the one he loves, but it definitely feels like she cares for him (and Ayano in her own way) despite that.

It seems to me that Kisara very much loves Shu but has accepted that his heart is with Ayano. Which makes her very much less yandere than she acts for laughs and giggles, and making me feel very sorry for her. I do hope the series ends without tragedy and Shu finally reciprocating Kisara’s feelings, although it would be sad if it happens because he had to give up all his memories and feelings for Ayano.

I would definitely love to see more of Shu and Ayano’s life back when they were together seeing as they were serious enough to be living together, but I get the feeling that the brief view we saw in episode three will be all we get. Until they get back together at the end of the anime, if that’s where the story goes. As much as I like Kisara more, I like Ayano too. Leave it to Tsunako to make me like all the characters she’s involved with.

[Lex79]

I do hope the series ends without tragedy and Shu finally reciprocating Kisara’s feelings, although it would be sad if it happens because he had to give up all his memories and feelings for Ayano.

It would be definitely feel bittersweet and unfair to Ayano, but still better than one of the characters dying. Harem ending would be ideal and if Kisara feels guilty enough she might accept the idea.

[Shinji103]

Originally Posted by Lex79

Harem ending would be ideal and if Kisara feels guilty enough she might accept the idea.

Absolutely. And I would be wholly welcome to a deus ex machina to bring us the happy ending.

[stray]

Originally Posted by Shinji103

Refer to my previous post, I edited in parts I forgot to say that answered this.

Again, "world building" does not even remotely imply a global setting -- world building is about setting up a coherent SF/F setting. Then again you're asking for deus ex machina so "coherent" doesn't seem to be what you're looking for at all... but I can't really explain or discuss world building further if you're going to be adamant that you know what it is when you don't.

[bakato]

Originally Posted by Shinji103

Absolutely. And I would be wholly welcome to a deus ex machina to bring us the happy ending.

I’m not sure what to make of Maruto’s track record with heroine endings, but as tragic as circumstances are I don’t think all is doom and gloom. It’s not like anyone is dying and if Shu is losing his memories then he just has to make new ones.

Originally Posted by stray

Again, "world building" does not even remotely imply a global setting -- world building is about setting up a coherent SF/F setting. Then again you're asking for deus ex machina so "coherent" doesn't seem to be what you're looking for at all... but I can't really explain or discuss world building further if you're going to be adamant that you know what it is when you don't.

World building is secondary to storytelling. You only need to expand your setting as much as the story demands. Otherwise you just end up detracting from the story. The lord we got so far explains why the city is the way it is. I don’t know what people are complaining about.

[stray]

Originally Posted by bakato

World building is secondary to storytelling. You only need to expand your setting as much as the story demands. Otherwise you just end up detracting from the story. The lord we got so far explains why the city is the way it is. I don’t know what people are complaining about.

If you read my posts I was specifically complaining about the infodumping, which is pretty awful from both a world building and storytelling perspective. Things got sort of derailed with that other person because they don't know what world building means.

[Frontier]

I think it makes a lot of sense that Kisara would have to give up something (her own life, her power, etc.) to give Shu his memories back especially if he'll probably be a shell of himself by the end of it even if she knows he doesn't love her but she still loves him.

I think it would be interesting if the less Shu forgets the more he becomes attached or attracted to Kisara, although I think he'd have to lose a lot of memories before that happened.

[bakato]

Originally Posted by stray

If you read my posts I was specifically complaining about the infodumping, which is pretty awful from both a world building and storytelling perspective. Things got sort of derailed with that other person because they don't know what world building means.

There was nothing clumsy about it. Miles was obviously informing his new buddy cop about his acquaintances.

[stray]

Originally Posted by bakato

There was nothing clumsy about it.

That's... definitely an opinion.

[Magewolf]

Originally Posted by bakato

There was nothing clumsy about it. Miles was obviously informing his new buddy cop about his acquaintances.

Really? This episode could be used in a textbook as an example of how not to do info dumps(and melodrama, for that matter).

[Frontier]

Honestly I feel like people always complain about infodumps (I remember this back during when Eighty-Six was airing), but maybe that's just because I feel like I've seen worse .

[bakato]

Originally Posted by stray

That's... definitely an opinion.

Originally Posted by Magewolf

Really? This episode could be used in a textbook as an example of how not to do info dumps(and melodrama, for that matter).

Two people who've never gossiped or discussed current events.

[Shinji103]

Originally Posted by bakato

Two people who've never gossiped or discussed current events.

This.

It was people talking about stuff that was pretty much directly related to their jobs. It’s so normal that this is how many, many animes, tv shows, movies, etc. do it.