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Dec 20, 2023 7:58 AM
#1

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Nov 2011
129037
Damn, that escalated. I didn't expect this episode to jump the gun so intensely into an episode involving Konoha. This was much more than just creating a game.

We got a cliffhanger too damn. I just hope Konoha can get out of this whole mess cause it's got very chaotic.
Dec 20, 2023 10:06 AM
#2

Offline
Apr 2010
9738
Looks like the corrupt company owner doesn't have it his way.
Now that the ones from the past have appeared i wonder what they will do and if they will help out.
Anyway Kanoha will have to work out to turn things the way they where and hopefully not end up with her old job.
Dec 20, 2023 10:26 AM
#3

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Nov 2011
3805
Oh look the Aliens are back in this already wacky anime lol.

Still need to open that Copy of Comic Party
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Dec 20, 2023 10:39 AM
#4

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Mar 2021
1857
Really good episode where things went 0 to 100 quickly, I hope that UFO at the end is here to help Konoha and Mamoru
Dec 20, 2023 10:42 AM
#5
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Sep 2015
6592
People that want to feel nostalgic of 1990-2000 era is gonna be disappointed with this futuristic ending.
Dec 20, 2023 11:04 AM
#6

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Feb 2019
9392
Holy shit aliens?? We sure this wasn’t made by trigger lol? Plot starting to go a little all over the place at the end, hope they wrap things up satisfactorily next week. The shifts to futuristic AI/CI and UFOs are definitely interesting.

Assuming these are the same ones from Mamoru’s trip to the past, this’ll be fun.

The whole hooking employees up to the CI machine is really disturbing. Especially since the CEO clearly isn’t into consent. Those people have probably been in there for years. I’d rather not have a job than work for a company that employs methods like that. Touya really fell off 😢

Is there anything the PC 98 can’t do? Hooking the robot security guards up to them was brilliant.

Little blush from Konoha when Mamoru explained everything he went through to save her was cute. I ship it

Moral of the story, don’t let Americans get control of the Japanese gaming industry
Marinate1016Dec 20, 2023 11:12 AM
Dec 20, 2023 11:22 AM
#7

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Sep 2020
1143
This anime has evolved so much from the first episode. It’s barely even what it was to begin with. Yet I’m enjoying every moment of it.

The aliens are here to save the day boys.
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Dec 20, 2023 11:22 AM
#8
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Aug 2020
3345
no, no no no, this was too much, ok, it was impossible to predict all this things but i'm not enjoying it anymore.


i enjoyed to see them create a game , but the game of the futur and now ovni, really...
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Dec 20, 2023 11:32 AM
#9

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Sep 2012
97
Watch_Dogs Hackerman Mamoru was NOT what I expected coming into this episode. Epic, hilarious and good fun.
It seemed like Mamoru became an old businessman, but he's still Mamoru after all. The extrapolation from programmer to piracy scene cracker to hackerman trespasser is so unapologetic and bonkers, I love it so much.

As anticipated, they elaborated on the human tanks, and on the dystopian alternate present where technology has advanced too far and creating is no longer fun.
A pity how Konoha's reunion with Toya went too. I was hoping they would make that game together as promised. (And still am)

The escape scene was stupid and hilarious too, but they've totally lost me at the UFO! It wasn't difficult to predict where they were going with this episode, but I haven't a single clue how they will end the show with the next and final one!
koagzeroDec 20, 2023 11:52 AM
Dec 20, 2023 11:32 AM

Offline
Dec 2015
28
Oof, sadly this episode was very weak in my opinion. There was no tension because Mamoru conveniently hacked all security robots and doors off-screen, and the incompetent staff made the entire chase sequence even more ridiculous. I'm not sure if the typical evil CEO villain type was needed for this either. Also is it just me or did the animation quality drop quite a bit these last episodes?

I honestly really liked the show when it focused on Game development and its creators. It was full of interesting characters and you could learn a lot of new stuff about 90s games! Now we have 2 characters doing conspiracy action with stealth and chases and it's just not working that well :/
Dec 20, 2023 11:48 AM

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Jul 2017
14657
Mamoru needs all of the help he could get overpowering his PC-98s to find Konoha, and he found her right in Akihabara Stadium, the place where the stadium was supposed to have been torn down, which hides a sinister space plot. The game supervisor uses all of his available resources, whilst Konoha almost getting tagged by robots and save by Toya, Glenn's plan is to have AI take over their game progress, then when that didn't work, turning to cybernetic intelligence for sustenance. But whatever it is, it's definitely a violation of human rights, and Toya has no choice but to have Konoha concede to demands.

Toya opening up to Konoha about her situation 20 years into an alternate 2023's Akibahara, the latter also forced her way to say that she's just an ordinary illustrator, and has technology to thank for. And in the midst, Mamoru coming to save her whilst tweaking and hacking commands to the PC-98, but that's not enough to stop Glenn and his company.

But a saviour from the sky...UFO??? Aliens are here to save the day lols...this twist, I LOVE IT.
Dec 20, 2023 11:50 AM
Shingster

Offline
Jun 2015
4397
Hmm to think that autodriving and remote connections are that commonplace. The power of the 98's truly were amazing. Using the rat as a decoy really was a genius move. The idea of using humans to act as sustenance for the CI really was quite the warped idea. Whats just as worst was the zombie programmers as well. Talk about being on the job every hour of the day though. In the end im glad that Toya was able to step back from the abyss and rediscover her heart. That escape though really was fun. Talk about subverting the system though. Really curious how this is gonna end now given how things are going with this arc and now with the inclusion of UFO's as well.
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Dec 20, 2023 11:59 AM
*hug noises*

Offline
May 2013
31698
I don't even know what this anime is trying to cook anymore, wtf
Dec 20, 2023 12:03 PM

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Dec 2017
433
This anime went from making games in the 90s to fucking aliens. Amazing.
Dec 20, 2023 12:12 PM
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Sep 2023
128
I hope konoha will be rescued in the next episode and some crazy stuff will happen.
But what about changing the world?I think it will take another season for it.
Dec 20, 2023 12:26 PM
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Jun 2016
56
I'm... starting to feel betrayed? Despite being a logical follow-up to last week's episode, I started to feel like I was slowly losing the plot. This whole series started as a nice comfy nostalgia trip to talk about something it seemed the creator was very passionate about: 90s-era visual novels, game culture, and programming tools. A goofy and eccentric office-life slice-of-life show that meanders but executes on solid enough concepts and character moments. Now I feel none of that. This show is completely unrecognizable.

It DOES use a time-travel narrative device to create this fish-out-of-water scenario so it does warrant a dramatic conclusion involving time-shennanagins. But hardly builds on it in any serious or foreshadowing way. For the time-travel element to all of a sudden have ramifications while ditching historical accuracy and going into sci-fic historical future fan-fiction, makes it feel underbaked.

And there isn't anything wrong with wanting to use a show about game development to build into a more serious and complex warning about the dangers of AI (or CI). It's the only connective tissue that reminds you about what this show *used* to be about: 90s video visual-novel games. But it had 2 episodes to build to that and it just wasn't quite enough. Not to mention how goofy they're making it all look. And I can't help but wonder if there was a more fitting conclusion for this show to take, while still satisfying the time-travel element. Not every show about time travel NEEDS to justify the actions taken in the past this drastically.

Also, I think these characters are much more suited to being the protagonists of a slice-of-life comedy-drama about a hyper-specific sub-culture movement. Instead, the transition to them being heroes posed to take down some future arch-villain and right the wrongs of the past feels very awkward. It would be like watching the Scooby Doo crew attempt to take down the culprit and then an entire political scandal involving the President of the United States. It's not a clean fit.
Dec 20, 2023 12:28 PM

Offline
Dec 2018
3885
this feels like a satire of the arts industries (i agree if that's the case) in general, and games in particular. i've also learned a lot believe it or not, with the historical expositions they've given. looks like the echoes are back baby!!!
this is the shocker of the season for me, totally under the radar.
Dec 20, 2023 12:48 PM

Offline
Sep 2012
97
Reply to Brolaub
Oof, sadly this episode was very weak in my opinion. There was no tension because Mamoru conveniently hacked all security robots and doors off-screen, and the incompetent staff made the entire chase sequence even more ridiculous. I'm not sure if the typical evil CEO villain type was needed for this either. Also is it just me or did the animation quality drop quite a bit these last episodes?

I honestly really liked the show when it focused on Game development and its creators. It was full of interesting characters and you could learn a lot of new stuff about 90s games! Now we have 2 characters doing conspiracy action with stealth and chases and it's just not working that well :/
Brolaub said:
Also is it just me or did the animation quality drop quite a bit these last episodes?
Personally didn't notice anything jarring last few episodes, maybe I wasn't paying enough attention. But for this particular episode, I felt the drawings and animation got a bit sloppy during some of the latter Toya confrontation scenes this episode. It wasn't too bad, but it might have broke the immersion a bit for me.

Brolaub said:
I honestly really liked the show when it focused on Game development and its creators. It was full of interesting characters and you could learn a lot of new stuff about 90s games!
That ship seems to have sailed quite a few episodes ago. The last proper Alcohol Soft gamedev episode we had was probably Ep 7.
I enjoyed it a lot up till that point too, and I got disappointed when Ep 8 was something else entirely, and Ep 9 skimmed through the development so quickly.
From Ep 10 onwards, it seems it has pivot-shifted to the topic of "the future of games".

I find that this show always tries to cover topics that are very relevant and current in the olden eras of bishoujo games, and putting our curent era in juxtaposition to those days. It really embraces and appreciates lots of the little things, which makes you feel like you're getting a very interesting glimpse into that era.
So this is just my opinion, but that is precisely why the creators have decided to make the last few episodes about the future instead of the past.

What are relevant and current topics in the present-day bishoujo game industry?
The topic of AI and advancing technologies is easily one the biggest elephants in the room. These technological developments have been pervasive enough that a decent number of doujin games that have already been created, released and sold with AI-generated graphics. Are the creators who don't use AI losing out? Should we just all switch to AI? Are we as the community losing something by relegating things to AI? These seem to be some of the questions the anime wishes to touch upon.

I haven't read much of it yet, but the manga that this anime is a spin-off of, 16bit Sensation, doesn't seem to have any time travelling elements at all. It very likely fleshes out the olden era of bishoujo game development much, much more than the anime. So that might be what you are looking for instead, though it is a lot heavier on the topic and quite a different beast.

This anime is a spinoff of that manga where a brand new character, Konoha, time travels and meets the characters of that other manga. The element of time travel didn't exist in the manga. Therefore, when the question is posed "Why add time travelling?" and "What can we do with this time travelling mechanic?", it makes a lot of sense that the creators will want to use this time travelling mechanic to its fullest.
"Let's cover predictive topics about bishoujo game future", "What if we go sci-fi since we can put Konoha far in the future", and "Let's pay homage to some sci-fi themed bishoujo games". I presume this was the sort of ideas and mindset they had they chose to go this route.

I also loved very much what the show was till Ep 7, with the cozy game development setting. And I agree that so much more could have been fleshed out and done there. It's a pity the 1-cour runtime is what it is.
But at the same time, I really love that they are asking questions about the future, and I feel this is the right approach to take when you have made the deliberate choice for a time travel show. Ironically, in changing gears and going off-course so drastically, they also stayed true to their time-travel theming. By changing from a cozy gamedev show, they stayed faithful to something else.
But it is completely understandable that people will feel that everything has gone out of whack and makes absolutely no sense. Because it pretty much has!
Dec 20, 2023 1:02 PM

Offline
Aug 2022
1498
I swear Konoha and Mamoru are wasted on this show there both very good characters but the plot of this show has become so random.

It should have just stayed a story about a girl going into the past and making games.
Dec 20, 2023 1:30 PM
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Dec 2020
3
I thought this show was going to be a kind of "90s games Shirobako", but my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.
Dec 20, 2023 1:50 PM
Offline
Aug 2021
213
talking about a bad story, it really went into weird stupid territory. guess it was too hard keeping a story about creating games and time travel interesting without adding a stupid "crime and drama" plotline.
Dec 20, 2023 2:12 PM

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Nov 2009
23
Was this written by AI? The plot went really haywire in the last few episodes. And now the aliens turn out to be real (earlier I assumed that Mamoru just had a weird kinda inspirational dream and not really timeslipped).
The show went from "kinda interesting" to "really meh" quite fast.
Dec 20, 2023 3:04 PM

Offline
Nov 2016
31878
I guess we have a Sibyl System. I count that as Psycho Pass reference. Oh and while we're at it let's add some aliens. We're already in train wreck territory, so why not? XD

Still enjoying this wacky series.

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Dec 20, 2023 3:10 PM
Offline
Feb 2012
3
Did this anime bump its head in its sleep, or was it written by AI because I have no clue what is going on anymore
Dec 20, 2023 3:12 PM
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Jun 2008
118
Oh boy, now Echo has appeared in 2023, just in the nick of time!
Dec 20, 2023 3:13 PM

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Sep 2010
507
Hm, this ends with the same tune the girl from the start of episode 3 was humming.

If Konoha's genre-mixing idea for a story in episode 1 was anything to go by, this plotline doesn't bother me that much.
I'm reminded a little of the original Utawarerumono, which is effectively an ancient-Japanese fantasy setting, plus kemonomimi, but towards the end it is revealed to be something else. Still, doesn't detract much from it being an ancient-Japanese setting on the surface.

Only escape I see for Konoha is for her to teleport out to 1996... but I haven't predicted much correctly for this anime.
Dec 20, 2023 3:45 PM
Offline
Nov 2022
1090
Many strange things for an anime that is about making visual novels o_0.

So the "Aliens" are going to save the day or something? ._.

The pc-98 is very powerful 🚬.
Dec 20, 2023 4:16 PM
Offline
Jun 2021
5
WHAT IN THE HELL IS THAT?
The plot of the plot: U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U

That anime was litteraly made by Chat GPT
I just can´t understand how is this happening, what can happ now??
__kirisakiDec 20, 2023 4:21 PM
Dec 20, 2023 4:31 PM

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Aug 2017
150
Suprised that this episode didn't get well received here. Really enjoyed it. Can't believe we've come so far - from the start with developing bishoujou games in 1992 to this twisted dystopia with an exciting story and plot-twist. I really like that the anime changes its tone so often. Thought the whole story would play in the 90ties, then there were these multiple time skips, the changed worldline and now the new plot with this UFO, which I totally didn't explected. This show never failed to suprise me.

Also with some current references like the problem with AI in the entertainment industry.

Mamorou-kun will never stop in believing in the power of PC-98 😂

I'm really curious how they will wrap this up in one single episode next week.

Still no sign of present-Kaori or present-Meiku (maybe they're in the UFO?)
Dec 20, 2023 5:44 PM

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Apr 2022
6339
r2d2 still better than that, thing. konoha got the MIB on their asses.
Dec 20, 2023 6:21 PM

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Aug 2020
8632
This episode had a different pacing and mood. Lots of action and an explanation that was different from what I initially had in mind... still frightening to know how far greedy people go, and how A.I. held priorities above the writers' well being. It is fiction, but I wouldn't doubt if such thing happens in the future heh

Mamoru saved Konoha right when she needed the most, and a spaceship came to their rescue...? XD

I hope future Touya will be in a better place in life in the other world possibility...

Dec 20, 2023 6:45 PM

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Sep 2018
5230
Just gets worse and worse, don't think I've ever seen a drop off this bad in all my seasonal watching (only 4 or so years).
Dec 20, 2023 6:52 PM
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Dec 2022
98
WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST WATCH

Honestly wtf is this anime plot
Dec 20, 2023 7:01 PM

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Jul 2022
595
Her voice sounds so annoying like a little pipsqueak.

Dec 20, 2023 7:03 PM

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Aug 2016
3766
Reply to phantomfandom
People that want to feel nostalgic of 1990-2000 era is gonna be disappointed with this futuristic ending.
@phantomfandom to be fair, 90s visual novels use to mix up 90s mundane setting with over the top sci-fi conspiracies, like Yu-no,Eve Burst Error or Exodus Guilty.
MichaelJacksonDec 20, 2023 7:10 PM
:v
Dec 20, 2023 9:09 PM

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Feb 2020
302
WHAT IN THE FUCK IS EVEN GOING ON IN THIS SHOW LMAOOO I CANT
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Dec 20, 2023 10:21 PM

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Jul 2008
5549
The cavalry has arrived!
And they came in an UFO!!!!!
LMAO LOL ROFL XD

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Dec 20, 2023 10:22 PM

Offline
Jul 2008
5549
Reply to MichaelJackson
@phantomfandom to be fair, 90s visual novels use to mix up 90s mundane setting with over the top sci-fi conspiracies, like Yu-no,Eve Burst Error or Exodus Guilty.
@MichaelJackson What about Steins;Gate and Chaos;Child
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Dec 20, 2023 10:26 PM

Offline
Jul 2008
5549
Reply to jsooka
WHAT IN THE FUCK IS EVEN GOING ON IN THIS SHOW LMAOOO I CANT
@jsooka Art, pure and hilarious art! XD

Or as the meme says: "This is anime!" X'D
My candies:
Dec 20, 2023 11:04 PM
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Nov 2018
1269
I liked it. I thought it was a fun show. Now I can't wait for it to be over with.
Dec 20, 2023 11:18 PM
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Aug 2019
2
crazy sh*t ...........
Dec 20, 2023 11:49 PM
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Dec 2021
56
Reply to GakutoDeathGlare
Just gets worse and worse, don't think I've ever seen a drop off this bad in all my seasonal watching (only 4 or so years).
@GakutoDeathGlare what's wrong with the plot? this was already shown several episodes ago also if you think this is a really bad drop off of a show there are ones that are way worse, but yeah don't see where the drop is even know this was hinted at in ep 7
Dec 20, 2023 11:54 PM

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Sep 2018
5230
Reply to AurasNep
@GakutoDeathGlare what's wrong with the plot? this was already shown several episodes ago also if you think this is a really bad drop off of a show there are ones that are way worse, but yeah don't see where the drop is even know this was hinted at in ep 7
@AurasNep It's simply a subjective personal preference. Some may like this tonal shift to a more sci fi/crime drama related plot, I liked it for it's more simplistic style in the beginning.
Dec 21, 2023 12:05 AM
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Dec 2023
3
The Pace was fast and the end was random
And PC-98 was a God Tier in Mamoru Hand😅
Dec 21, 2023 12:45 AM
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May 2021
3
Ok what the hell is goign on anyore, like this anime went from 1 to 100 in a few episodes then threw like 50 curveballs i am so lost on what is even the plot is at this point.

But hell if im not going to enjoy this finaly beacuse it has become so out of wack.
Dec 21, 2023 3:48 AM
Offline
Aug 2017
115
This anime is chaotic and went into a weird stage where I don't even know if it's good or bad anymore. But if it's bad it's bad in the same comforting and over the top way that some tv shows from the 80's are, like Knight Rider, A-Team and so on - they're so over the top and absurd some times that I can't help but love all of it despite how absurdly bad it is. I will need a second season of this absurdly weird show :D
Dec 21, 2023 6:24 AM
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Dec 2017
344
Is that just a same melody or Evangelion reference in the end?
Dec 21, 2023 11:38 AM
No Drop Hell

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Sep 2011
211
Reply to Sondfer
Is that just a same melody or Evangelion reference in the end?
@Sondfer Yes, I believe it's Beethoven's "Ode to Joy"
Dec 21, 2023 5:16 PM
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Apr 2022
1192
k, but can it just go back to simple things like, enjoying bishoujo games, this sci fi weird tone shift is not something that i expected nor wanted in this once cute wholesome anime
Dec 21, 2023 6:51 PM
ギャンブルビイ

Offline
Sep 2018
623
The "humans enslaved to AI" concept is pretty laughably executed here (the entire show feels a bit like a poorly made caricature at this point), but as a certified AI hater just the idea alone is enough to give me the chills... I didn't know what to expect when I started this anime, but it certainly wasn't this kind of escalation. "AI used to help humans, but now it's the other way around. That's all there is to it." Terrifying, absolutely dystopian... and a future I'm not so sure is entirely impossible at this point.

Konoha lowkey getting the Evangelion treatment from evil America man™ may have made me chuckle a bit.
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