DO NOT discuss the source material beyond this episode. If you want to discuss future events or theories, please use separate threads.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
| Kaiba really toyed with my emotions. It spent 7 episodes building up an interesting and nuanced world, and introducing original characters with unique, compelling storylines. In doing so, Kaiba created an awesome universe, and explored a lot of thought-provoking possibilities within it. This, to me, was the heart and soul of the show, and one that felt wholehearted and genuine in almost every aspect. At this point in Kaiba, I was in love with it. In episodes 8-12, it started to feel far less original, and more like an ending for the sake of an ending; it was as if someone in a board meeting said "alright guys, fun's over, we've gotta wrap this up". The characters became bland, the dialogue felt less genuine, and the storyline became not only contrived, but convoluted. While I was able to tolerate episode 9, as it was necessary in making sense of the romance and admittedly charming, the other four were mediocre and unimpressive. It's like someone inserted memories from Michael Bay into the production staff after Vanilla's death. |
| I was not expecting a happy ending. The ostrich being Warps mother was a cool twist and explained how it was so protective of him. Good show but the ending was kinda weak. Dont understand how people had trouble understanding the story or claim that it was 'too fast'. Its not exactly complicated once everything gets explained in the last few episodes. |
sayonara_sekaiJul 24, 2014 11:00 PM
| I got mixed feelings about this series. I agree with people that say the second half was more poor than the first, although I mostly feel like that about the last 3-4 episodes only. Interesting concept surely. I actually expected more romance than plot or the human concepts that the writers tried to make us think about; which is not really what I wanted. Good show nonetheless. The ending really bugged me though. All of it; things weren't explained clearly and some concepts made no sense. If Kaiba was immortal and Popo knew it why did he continue to try to kill him instead of using some other tactic to get rid of him. Speaking of Popo... You ever heard of backup, bro? I'd say having all of your mother's memories who you want to bring back in a little chip might make you consider to backup the data... Dumbass. This takes me to the point how inconsistent some characters' personalities are (I wouldn't call this development or at the very least a "good one" at that). How come Neiro's copy, the one which was inside the flying small robot fell in love with the guy who only appeared in the last episode, while the original continued to pursue Kaiba? Is it because that guy told her he loved her all this time? Kinda poor attempt at romance there. Why do people transfer their data/memories into bodies of humans, when it's obvious they could put them into anything like a stuffed doll or robot. Why not put it into something with a lot of power like a giant robot or something with wings? Or at the very least make bodies with wings, wouldn't flying make life easier to travel? Even if bodies are expensive, pretty much no one did this. There was a lot of focus on romance throughout the show but the last episode just concentrated on some abstract concept that made little sense (unless I'm missing the bigger picture and all they wanted to do was to make Warp realise his mother loved him - pretty much annihilating the whole concept of this show being "deep"). And then unanswered questions. What happens to the world now since it seemed to collapse in on itself? What about the universe; is Kaiba still the king of it? Is there need for a king any more? What will happen to the memory transfer system? What of its rebels? What about the conclusion for the main characters (i.e. their relationship)? Yeah, no. I definitely agree with the people who say this was rushed. |
HandsomeManAug 12, 2014 3:41 PM
| I have many questions as well...but most of them were already asked and seemed unanswered. Although the last episode felt confusing, it was still good from what I understood happened. A lot of things happened, and the last two episodes felt really fast compared to the earlier ones. I still enjoyed it though. So much creativity and imagination in this series, it was fun and had a few touching moments (Chroniko's story comes to mind), and a really interesting concept and idea of a world where memory transfer exists. |
| Kind of a letdown. The show slowly went downhill after Vanilla's death, adopting a tone and style that clashed with what I liked about it to begin with. It became increasingly hard to see a story through this dense jumble of flashbacks and characters inhabiting multiple bodies and multiple characters inhabiting identical bodies and so on and so forth. By the end I just didn't care. It worked much better as a series of thematically linked "planet of the week" episodes. I wish the show had maintained that elegant simplicity and melancholic vibe all the way through. Ah well. 7/10 |
| So Kaiba was fighting Warp/himself? Yeah I can't be the only one confused by the endgame here. The first half was a ten but it seemed to fall off the rails once Vanilla died. I'll drop it to an 8 simply because the art and OST were simply outstanding. |
 |
| The first 8 episodes were brilliant, then it completely deteriorated. One of the biggest letdowns I've ever seen. But there was so much greatness in those 8, I still love this series. |
Gymkata said: The first 8 episodes were brilliant, then it completely deteriorated. One of the biggest letdowns I've ever seen. But there was so much greatness in those 8, I still love this series. Yeah the direction went to a different direction in the final episodes. Also the ending was kinda rushed, which made the impact of the love story pretty less tbh. Still, the first half was amazing and overall its still a wonderful series. |
Kagami_Hiiragi said: Idc if you think its weird, I have a life and friends and an income of money. |
| *insert clapping gif* I'm debating between a 7 and 8 because it was a rough ride in the beginning until they pulled out the backstory card. After that, I was just HOOKED. The style and directing are wonderful. I love the art style, although I admit it took a while to get used to the cartoon character designs. What should be my next Yuasa thing? Tatami or Kemono? Hmm, decisions! |
norsci said: mayukachan said: What should be my next Yuasa thing? Tatami or Kemono? Hmm, decisions! Have you watched Ping Pong: The Animation yet? That's my favourite Yuasa work :D |
| Tatami is easier to recommend. Kemonozume has a polarizing latter half. I liked both equally, for completely different reasons. TG for something fun and possibly contemplative. KZ for best love story after Twilight. |
| Sieg Zeon! |
| As someone who really appreciates cyberpunk and dystopian anime this was fantastic. Albeit not quite cyberpunk, it really portrays the dystopian aspect masterfully whilst also taking on a different perspective, which is why I'd consider this a cut above the rest. True feeling and empathy, something that is generally lacking in these genres (which, I'm not saying is necessarily a flaw) and this really did a good job of taking the futuristic technology and placing it in a human context. A very enjoyable ride of mixed emotions and a fantastic take on dystopian romance. Was it rushed and jumps over some pretty big gaps? Yeah, probably, but I still wholeheartedly enjoyed the series. Also really appreciated "The Tree Song" which had fantastic symbolism and really talks about what the series is about. |
| how the fuck did all the characters come back to life? good last episode for a damn good series. it definitely had some unique qualities and some great scifi elements. glad i randomly came across this anime. |
Rudes said: Kind of a letdown. The show slowly went downhill after Vanilla's death, adopting a tone and style that clashed with what I liked about it to begin with. It became increasingly hard to see a story through this dense jumble of flashbacks and characters inhabiting multiple bodies and multiple characters inhabiting identical bodies and so on and so forth. By the end I just didn't care. It worked much better as a series of thematically linked "planet of the week" episodes. I wish the show had maintained that elegant simplicity and melancholic vibe all the way through. Ah well. 7/10 This sums up how I feel about it. The first half of the show was really good and the second half was just boring. |
| I'm kind of debating myself between a 7 and 8. I have a lot to say but I will try to resume. From Masaaki works, in my opinion this is the one that starts with more established bases, and gets to transmit much more than its previous anime shows. I didn't found not even a single cliche on this. The structure of the episodes at the beginning is a bit odd and not until the third episode it's when I realized the essence of the series. There are scenes that clearly convey feelings and are pretty thought-provoking. As usual in Yuasa, it's very difficult to spin all the scenes as there are cuts in time and very abstract scenes that are open to interpretation. Nevertheless, I met a beautiful story of love, futuristic and innovative, with a very unusual drawing, but very worth the time. The show's classic style is also surprisingly fitting and a sign of the effort that has gone into the show's production. There was a few flaws that I couldn't bring myself to ignore, regarding the main leads and the general layout of the narrative. That's why I'm not giving this a higher score. But this was definitely one of the most enjoyable and 'different' anime experiences I have had this year. |
 |
| Ehh. The first half of the show was great with its episodic, short stories but then came the second, 'story-driven' half. It was generic, uninspired good vs evil. Lots of things were unexplained like why Warp was the chosen one, with that special power. It tried to bite too much, picking up various motives but in the end it focused only on one. + for the characteristic OST and art. 5/10 |
AizixMay 5, 2015 6:41 AM
| A lot of great ideas, but its structure, execution, and style were way too postmodern for my liking. 6/10 |
| I'm happy to see that I'm not the only one who didn't fully understand what was happening at the end. I think Warp defeated Dark Warp in final battle with an overthrow of a Human Instrumentality Project thrown in. Overall, a top 10 anime with some wonderful haunting moments and a great soundtrack. |
| The episodic nature of the first half was very well done and explored the themes the second half would screw around with. It stayed relatively easy to follow even in the climax. The memory altering and Kaiba's supernatural powers added to make a great ending. It was a very fun watch and I think the lack of diving deep into its philosophy is the reason why it was so enjoyable. It didn't bother with being preachy about its world. To supplement its story, it used a great cast of characters and an awesome soundtrack. |
devinderMay 26, 2015 10:49 PM
| I liked the first half more than the second half, but it was still quite entertaining. Shoutouts to Vanilla and Kichi. Da real MVPs. |
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ⛩️  |
| That's one of the most creative shows out there and it's good that anime like that exist. I agree that it's become boring and cliche near the end I don't think I will ever want to rewatch this, as the show failed to leave an impact on me |
| I just have one very very important question about the ending. I know they all lost their memories but, did Neiro keep her memories??? Because she did pass through the cloud thingy! If she did lose her memories then I am disappointed... |
| Yuasa is GOAT 8/10 |
 Nico- said: Conversations with people pinging/quoting me to argue about some old post I wrote years ago will not be entertained@Comic_Sans oh no y arnt ppl dieing i need more ppl dieing rly gud plot avansement jus liek tokyo ghoul if erbudy dies amirite |
| This was very surreal and interesting. Great setting and really interesting use of animation, art style, storytelling and music to create something unique. I didn't quite like how they handled the ending because it didn't give the same vibe as the rest of the show. Overall very much worth watching though. 8/10 Kaiba: I think the story around the plant was very underdeveloped, especially considering that it was considered legendary among the citizens. I liked the parable of Kaiba (the memory-eating plant) and Kaiba (Warp) who was also kind of sucking up all memories. Aside from that there wasn't much though. Romance: Kind of abstract. For the amount of screentime it had it was developed quite badly imho. A long time no development happened at all, despite showing the romance over and over and then they showed tons of flashbacks (basically an entire episode). I think it would have been better to give more emphasize on the setting instead of this. Which leads me to my next point. Setting: There were a lot of interesting themes concerning memories, their exchange/loss, body exchange, government control, sciene (cloning, synthetical bodies etc.), revoloution, manipulation (this was especially interesting because of the way memories were handled in this show) and the impact of all of these on the society. Some of them were handled well while others seemed to fell a bit short in the end. Part of the reason for that is the ending. I don't really understand why they focussed on a good vs evil ending towards the end with lots of action and drama instead of chosing a more philosophical road. I think this would have been much better if they had done 24 episodes and focussed a lot more on the world instead of the romance/good vs evil story. Music: I meantioned this before but the soundtrack for this was amazing. It didn't have a lot of tracks but each mood was conveyed perfectly. It was also quite memoriable which made me feel nostalgic already while watching the show which is a huge plus for the atmosphere in a setteing like this. |
 |
| Amazing series. The first half definitely was a 10/10 but after episode 7 it went a bit downhill. Doesn't matter though, since it remained really interesting throughout. Animation and soundtrack were freaking great as well. 9/10, into my top 10. |
CynthesizerDec 26, 2015 11:50 PM
| It was a satisfying ending imo. I loved this episode. First half was a masterpiece. Second half was amazing, but with some minor facts that I didn't like very much. Overall I definitely enjoyed this series though. Solid 9/10. |
♪♪ All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be ♪♪  |
| Amazing anime, Yuasa really is a God. 10/10 for the first half of it and 8/10 for the second half, so it's a final solid 9/10 for me. |
 |
| One of the rare cases when amnesia is handled properly in show without being relied too heavily upon or misused for the sake of plot convenience . I don't mind the abstract designs and of course the lovely ost. |
Always-HungryJun 29, 2016 1:03 PM
 |
| I liked some of the first episodes, sort of a weird slice of life (not really but you can get what I mean). Not all of them were amazing but it was pretty enjoyable in my opinion. The second half makes a weird transition into a more story-driven show, but the story wasn't very good. It's rushed, characters aren't very interesting and it's needlessly confusing. These last eps I was looking for the thing to end already cause I was very bored, and, you know, that's not a good sign. The art is pretty good, actually the best thing about Kaiba, as it is to be expected from Yuasa. 5/10 way better as an episodic show |
 |
| I like the main storyline particularly love story between Kaiba and Neiro and I absolutely like the way The art and the sounds integrated very well with the story. But I found the episodic storyline is boring overall, the only one I remember is the episode about that Grandma with her two crandchild . 7/10 thanks to visual and sounds I guess. |
| I'm too weird to live but much too rare to die. |
| This was confusing, towards the end i couldn't understand who is doing what lol. As other people pointed out, there are many questions left unanswered, i was going to rate the story 10/10 but now i can't, the story is too vague and left many things ambiguous. :( :( Animation - 7 (lack of background detailed movement) ART - 9 (Creative landscape design, one of the most innovative style, the use of colors is also excellent, lacks some detailed design, but that's all) Sounds - 9 (The OST is great, voice acting sounds are all nice, the songs are amazing ) Story - 8 (Unfortunately the ending was rushed, if not this will be 10 easily, the Themes are excellent, the pacing is good - it suffers a bit at the first half where some episodes felt a bit weak. I complain about the vague conclusion and some weak pacing in the first half which resulted in weaker episodes, other than that its perfect here, the story is very smart and it relies on showing instead of telling which i like more) Characters - 7 (I didn't really like them much, but they have their personality and backstories, they also have some sort of development, the story focus more on the themes and world-building so characters didn't get much weight) Enjoyment - 8.5 ( The world-building boosted this for me, it was enjoyable just to look at, refreshing and the story is nice) World-Building/Atmosphere : The best thing this anime has, it gets a bonus from me here because its special here, the only world-building i found to be better is Shinsekai Yori, so it hold the 2nd place. ((11)) Atmosphere is very good also, didn't feel everything the show tried to offer but its a captivating atmosphere (8.5) Bonus: Creativity and Innovation are strongly present in the show (+,+) Overall: I liked the show so much, sadly the ending prevented it from becoming one of my top favorites, perhaps if i find the answers on a second watch or if someone told me then i will change my score and boost it even higher. My Final Score : 8.6/10 Hidden Gem and Underrated show that deserves attention, Yuasa is one of the best directors in anime industry. |
| The last time I got this brainfucked was when I watched FLCL... When I started the show I wanted to give it a 10, but the quality dropped a little after ep 5-6 imo. |
| The first half was episodic and boring as fuck. So many people praising it above makes me think maybe we've watched different shows, because that's unbelievable. Seeing Kaiba traveling around with huge-forehead Vanilla and seeing episodic subplots I couldn't care less about is the opposite of AMAZING AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING. If the show had ended there with that, I'd give this a 5/10. It was alright for setting the world and premise, but not good in itself. The actual plot was pretty good. I'm bothered by some stupid moments and some loose ends, these which sadly only a few people have cared talking about in this thread. @tiglionabbit 's post was pretty good and expresses all my doubts. I agree with the theory that Warp's story actually goes way back, and that the current Warp is just a clone and actually never met his family. That makes most things fit into place. They had stored all the world's memories in the tanks and the computer was cloning Warp until a clone came out that could handle carrying them all. But still, there are things that are just lacking information and there's nothing you can do. Like who's the wizard-looking guy that put Warp's mother's memories into the bird, or why Warp fell the first time and lost his memories. Only thing I can think of about the latter is that he jumped after his family was doomed, but that'd go against the theory that he's just a clone of someone who lived long ago, which, in turn, would leave other loose ends. In any case, it was a pretty fun watch. Somewhere between an 8 or a 9 from me. |
 |
| Pretentious philosophical jabbering in the first half and then more action in the second half that had potential to partially recover the score for me but I never cared about any of the characters and it remained a confusing slog. 5/10, I'll do my tiny bit to try and drag the score down. |
 |
| I think this anime overall was great especially the unraveling of the storyline in the second half (particularly from episode 8 to 12). The first half was Kaiba/Warp's adventure and discovering who he is (RIP Vanilla) and while also encountering individuals he formed bonds with(even if short lived). Both were necessary and they gave the story impact while the art encouraged imagination 9/10 is great for this anime. |
lihle808Sep 6, 2017 8:26 AM
How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb --- Dr Strangelove  |
| I really don't know what to make of this, i think i wasn't as conflicted when rating an anime before this one. I actually enjoyed the premise and all the episodes but the last two, i kinda felt the ending was silly, like, totally stupid when compared to the bigger picture. I thought it was gonna be more socio-political oriented, solving the memory and body issues; do people really deserve going on living after they die? if the majority of people actually agreed could it be liberalized in order for everyone to enjoy such privilege and not just the rich? what about all the bodies that were sold and the memories that were thrown away? what about how sinister it was for the upper classes to create devices in order to forbid the people from below to go up? i know the One society was meant to be corrupted since it had as main leader some random Warps, but did nobody truly hold those convictions at heart? I get those three messed with Popo's memories so much that i guess he ultimately lost himself in there but...the rest? Was it all a farce? What about the poor and unprivileged folks? Instead, the last episode was all about Warp and everyone trying to save Warp, are the effects of the fog permanent? I just don't know, i find it plain and cheap that they focused only on the kid while leaving aside the core of the plot imo. But anyways i can't deny it was a nice experience and i felt in love with the world and the world building in general...so...i don't know is it an 8? a 7? I guess it's an 8. BUT WHEN I THINK ABOUT LAST TWO EPISODES IT'S A 7 WELP!! |
KannoSugakoDec 28, 2017 10:42 AM
 SEIZON SENRYAKU: Hungry 100% of the time.Vzla-IT |
| I found something that i think is inspired by Kaiba.In the game Stormbound for android, there is a nation called Ironclad and the robots of this nation have the same simbol on theare chests or sholders like Kaiba. https://stormboundkingdomwars.gamepedia.com/Destructobots https://stormboundkingdomwars.gamepedia.com/Constructs https://stormboundkingdomwars.gamepedia.com/Delegators https://stormboundkingdomwars.gamepedia.com/Armed_Schemers https://stormboundkingdomwars.gamepedia.com/Project_PH03-NIX The art its a little bit pointier but i find it familiar in some aspects. |
EdrenalinAug 21, 2018 8:12 AM
| I did like the show in overall really descent show with great ideas |
 |
gswelcome said: Pretentious. No, that doesn't define as 'I can't possibly wrap my head around it'. What's the word for that.... Laziness or inability? |
 |
More topics from this board
» I’m indifferent to the point of dropping itSagepool - Apr 13 |
1 |
by TRC_Randy
»»
Apr 28, 9:22 AM |
|
Poll: » Kaiba Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 )Trojun - Aug 7, 2008 |
64 |
by Archean-Return
»»
Mar 20, 4:57 PM |
|
Poll: » Kaiba Episode 10 Discussion8GaugeBrett - Jul 31, 2008 |
43 |
by Archean-Return
»»
Mar 20, 4:02 PM |
|
Poll: » Kaiba Episode 9 Discussion ( 1 2 )freedo- - Jul 4, 2008 |
64 |
by Archean-Return
»»
Mar 20, 3:26 PM |
|
Poll: » Kaiba Episode 8 Discussioncyruz - Jun 22, 2008 |
48 |
by Archean-Return
»»
Mar 20, 2:33 PM |