Little Busters - Episode 21 Discussion / Poll

[Dr. Casey]

Why's that? Too depressing for you?

[Zankoku12]

Originally Posted by kitten320

Nope, Russians don't name children by pets names. But we do name pets by foreign human names like Jon for example

Also am I missing something but "Belka" means squirrel, not white. "Belyj" means white.

That scene between Kud and Riki could be really awkward if someone were to pass by.

Well,I read on Wikipedia : "Belka (Белка, literally, "Squirrel" or, alternately, "Whitey")" and Kud said white so it must be so.

If I saw that ritual in real life,I would think they're Satan worshipers or something

Anyway,I honestly think it would have been best if they skip the ritual part seeing how they had downgraded it so much.
In the VN,Kud explained the ritual can only be done by couple -> no romance.
Kud also painted on Riki -> Nope.

The ritual lost all its points and become really random.

Originally Posted by Dr. Casey

...
It's a divergence from the typical style, so yeah technically it's off-model, but I don't mind because I actually found it a very pretty drawing.

I don't really mind either if it wasn't used to show how much effort they put into this.
Really,It's like you're watching this show and suddenly they insert a scene from another show out of nowhere.

[novalysis]

Actually, perhaps in the Anime, it might be Kud's extremely indirect way of hinting of her feelings for Riki, without outright confessing. At the very least, the whole scene suggest from an Anime Only standpoint that Kud places a very high amount of personal trust in Riki - it might, or might not be platonic, but it's a very high degree of trust, to allow Riki this deep into her personal life.

Spoiler for Foreplanning?:

I really suspect that they really are adapting this arc with Kud Wafter in mind.

[Zankoku12]

They're actually doing what they did with all the previous girls.Excluding all the romance part while making the heroine still trusted Riki enough and listen to whatever he says.

I was just unhappy they simplified the ritual part too much...oh well.

So how many people realized Kud and her mother have the same voice ?

[kitten320]

Well seiyu has bad accent then. Had to watch the scene second time to understand what she was saying in Russian.

Japanese Russian is worse than English. Durarara had similar problem.

[ronelm2000]

Originally Posted by novalysis

Actually, perhaps in the Anime, it might be Kud's extremely indirect way of hinting of her feelings for Riki, without outright confessing. At the very least, the whole scene suggest from an Anime Only standpoint that Kud places a very high amount of personal trust in Riki - it might, or might not be platonic, but it's a very high degree of trust, to allow Riki this deep into her personal life.

Spoiler for Foreplanning?:

I really suspect that they really are adapting this arc with Kud Wafter in mind.

Well, I not for one, am glad people supervising this anime are taking this route. Since, for me, they've been kinda reducing emotional impact on many of the arcs so far. (Komari being the worst.) I personally think that the reason for this is because in the VN, routes normally go over "personal trust -> love", which JC Staff has been avoiding.

Spoiler for Response to Foreplanning?:

Well, that's not impossible, but it's highly unlikely.

Originally Posted by molitar

Ok gathering you are stating this maybe your most favorite Arc than I am gathering that Kud's mother did not die. At least I hope so other wise this show just took a downhill to me and I won't be watching anymore of this show. It was bad enough with the previous Arc where nobody died but was psychologically tortured but add death to the show and it has lost any resemblance to being a good show for me.

Why is death bad? Why escape reality?

If you think about it, isn't that the theme of Komari's Arc? (which they utterly butchered due to no romance, and I liked that arc too. )

[Chiibi]

Originally Posted by molitar

It was bad enough with the previous Arc where nobody died but was psychologically tortured but add death to the show and it has lost any resemblance to being a good show for me.

Did you forget that Komari's brother died? o_O

[ronelm2000]

Originally Posted by Chiibi

Did you forget that Komari's brother died? o_O

Denial - Level 4 at work here.

[Triple_R]

Honestly, I can't think of anything like this in Clannad or Kanon or previously in the LB anime. So I can understand why it's a bit jarring to some people.

Having a tragic family death in a major heroine's backstory is a fair bit different than a major heroine actually watching her mother die in a major disaster on live television!

Not to make light of it, but the former is like a lingering hurt that's hard to get over, whereas the latter is a massive and immediate jolt to one's psyche and emotional well-being. I fully expect Kud to be completely shellshocked and grief-stricken next episode. This is one case where Key probably should be melodramatic. Anything less might seem too understated given the circumstances.

[Kudryavka]

Wow, I never would have guessed Kud's mom as a brunette.

Also interesting choice that JC made Kud's mom the half Japanese parent. I personally always thought her dad would be the half-Japanese, which is the simplest way to explain why Kud's last name is Noumi.

[ronelm2000]

Originally Posted by Kudryavka

which is the simplest way to explain why Kud's last name is Noumi.

Only thing is: it's not. XD

It's Noumi Kudryavka Anatolyevna Strugatskaya.

Noumi being the first name.

[Kudryavka]

Originally Posted by ronelm2000

Only thing is: it's not. XD

It's Noumi Kudryavka Anatolyevna Strugatskaya.

Noumi being the first name.

???

Her Russian name is Kudryavka Anatolyevna Strugatskaya. Her Japanese name (which we know her by) is Kudryavka Noumi. Easiest conclusion is that Noumi is from her grandfather (he took on his wife's lastname), and her Russian name is from her spending time with her Tebwaian folks.

Even if her four names can be combined like you did, I don't see why you put Noumi as her first name. Evidence that Noumi is not (at least one of) her family name(s)?

Alternatively, please excuse me for referring to "family name" as "last name". That is how my culture orders names, and I thought that it would go without saying that Noumi is Kud's family name.

[ronelm2000]

Originally Posted by Kudryavka

????

At 11:23. I just added the Noumi part. :P

[Kudryavka]

Originally Posted by ronelm2000

At 11:23. I just added the Noumi part. :P

Ok, I see why you think this.

But to make clear, Kud's Japanese family/last name is Noumi.

[Dist]

Originally Posted by molitar

Ok gathering you are stating this maybe your most favorite Arc than I am gathering that Kud's mother did not die. At least I hope so other wise this show just took a downhill to me and I won't be watching anymore of this show. It was bad enough with the previous Arc where nobody died but was psychologically tortured but add death to the show and it has lost any resemblance to being a good show for me.

What, did you start watching LB expecting all bright and happy rainbows episodes? Do you have any idea who made the game this is based on? Key's works are all about depressing and sad and I am definitely expecting her mother to be dead. Why cannot a show be good if it's depressing? I have hard time understanding your logic here ..

[Dr. Casey]

Well, it's certainly sad that we won't get to see such an awesome character anymore. J.C. Staff should pacify us by creating a heartwarming anime original arc that focuses on Kud's mother dropping out of school in 5th grade to give birth to Kud, and some of their early days together.

[Zankoku12]

Originally Posted by Dr. Casey

Well, it's certainly sad that we won't get to see such an awesome character anymore. J.C. Staff should pacify us by creating a heartwarming anime original arc that focuses on Kud's mother dropping out of school in 5th grade to give birth to Kud, and some of their early days together.

And how Kud's mother is actually a female counterpart of Riki from a star planet that is million of light year away but somehow she end up on Earth then give birth to Kud and all those years,she built a rocket to go to space in order to go back to her real homeland.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Dist

What, did you start watching LB expecting all bright and happy rainbows episodes?

LB has one of the most bright and happy OPs I've ever seen. Most of LB's episodes (so far) are loaded with joyful goofball comedy. There's loads of camaraderie and smiles throughout the entire cast. There's every reason in the world for an anime-only viewer to expect a largely upbeat show here.

Do you have any idea who made the game this is based on? Key's works are all about depressing and sad...

No, they're not. There's plenty of brightness and happiness in both Clannad and Kanon.

and I am definitely expecting her mother to be dead.

I should imagine she is. There's a limit to what even Key should be able to bring about with its miraculous supernatural happy endings...

Why cannot a show be good if it's depressing?

Do people like being depressed? Do people prefer being happy or being depressed?

Remember, we're talking about entertainment here, not a WWII documentary. It shouldn't be hard to understand why somebody would prefer an inspirational happy story over a sad tragedy.

[novalysis]

Well, the backstories for three of the girls are already quite screwed up. Think of it for a moment.

Komari: Delusional, traumatized with losing her brother at a young age.
Mio : Mentally warded when young for something that's probably akin to either Schizophrenia or Bi-polar disorder. Socially Isolated Bookworm, pre Little Busters.
Haruka: Victim of child abuse. Horrible relations with her sister. Separated from biological parents as an infant.

So. Light hearted? Really? From the anime alone? Well, I'm sure the common route moments, plus the increased emphasis on friendship helps off-set this, and the fact that all of the arcs has ended well so far. That probably contributes to it.

Spoiler for But....:

It doesn't take much imagination to think of how any of the three stories covered so far could have ended badly.

[Triple_R]

Pretty much any show with decent-or-better drama in it is going to have its low points, its moments of sadness, its grueling ordeals for certain protagonists. Drama requires at least some level of conflict, and for that conflict to be tinged with strong emotions. And Key does drama exceptionally well.

But this notion that Key is all about "sad girls in the show" is a bit overplayed. Key shows tend to have loads of lighthearted comedy, and LB! might have this more than any other Key show. Key shows also tend to be literally bright and colorful. Not just in character design, but in overall setting. Most days in LB-verse are bright and sunny days from what I can recall.


To be clear, I'm not saying that this latest development with Kud's mom is necessarily bad. They could make a great story out of it. But I can see why it would be jarring to someone. Watching a major character's mom get killed in the present tense (rather than just the latest sad backstory, which frankly anime in general is loaded with up to one's eyeballs) has a certain rawness to it that most Key stories I've seen don't have. I mean, it wasn't even foreshadowed. In the same episode we're told about Kud's mom, she dies. BANG!