MenchiK1 said: And damn poor Nukumizu no wonder he has zero self confidence she rejected him 3 times already without ever asking her out, jokingly at the beach, mistakenly on the roof (double yikes for being friend zoned while asking to be friend zoned) and then premptively if he ever asks her out in the future. Yeah. Except my takeaway from that (after years of anime) was: "Okay, it's definitely gonna be Anna." :-D |
MenchiK1 said: The fizziling out of the light from the fireworks as Komari's hopes of him accepting her died was a nice touch. It was. Hell, the hand-drawn sparks from the fireworks were just beautiful. So many shows use CGI, or don't show it, or just show a montage... BTW, speaking of fireworks, did anyone else catch the Harry Potter reference last episode? Makes sense from a lit club member.  |
| Away from the things of man, my love, away from the things of man. |
| I need to track down a translation of the OP. It's the only one I'm not skipping through this season. It gives me some Nichijou vibes, though not the straight pull like S2 of Dragon Maid which was intended as a tribute. |
| The tomatoes are coming! Arm the dicer! Prepare the olive oil! |
| I've been curious about that little Kanji character that rolls around for the last few shots of the OP... Also, do the Japanese have two separate words for "dumped" & "rejected?" They have different connotations in English ("rejected" is usually pre-relationship, and "dumped" is within the relationship). The sub seems to have kind of been using them interchangeably. Paging @marklebid... |
| Away from the things of man, my love, away from the things of man. |
Reply to boldulysses
HOOfan_1 said:
Yeah the red bean rice balls being given to them by a middle school girl was kind of a Chekov's Gun situation.
Yeah the red bean rice balls being given to them by a middle school girl was kind of a Chekov's Gun situation.
Agreed. I hope the show is cohesive enough to reference that in a future episode.
We also haven't seen any more of white-haired spaced-out student council girl... Makes it feel like the adaptation is skipping some scenes from the LN, but it's so polished otherwise that I want to give it the benefit of the doubt.
| I kind of like they didn't show us. I've been getting "stalker-y" vibes from the little sister since she was introduced. That they had the rice balls delivered through an intermediary carried through that idea in a nicely subtle yet quite clear way. ("You can't see me, but I'm watching.") Something I keep noticing is how on most of the exterior shots of the school there's rust and other signs of neglect. There's been quite a lot of talk about how grade schools in Japan are shuttering from a lack of students. Though this school seems to have its share, there's a nicely subdued vibe it's not as well-maintained as schools in other high school anime. And I think "subtle" and "subdued" are good ways to describe in part how the anime conveys its emotions. Hand gestures. Facial expressions. Framing. They do a lot of "show not tell" that I really appreciate. Not to get pun-y, but A-1 is bringing their A-game with this one. On the question of the number of bows on the girls' uniforms, I read an article the other day about the growing popularity of girly fashion that's less Lolita but still uses bows quite a bit. The uniform design may be a nod to that. Or the creator just likes bows. =P |
| The tomatoes are coming! Arm the dicer! Prepare the olive oil! |
Domvina said: And I think "subtle" and "subdued" are good ways to describe in part how the anime conveys its emotions. Hand gestures. Facial expressions. Framing. They do a lot of "show not tell" that I really appreciate. Not to get pun-y, but A-1 is bringing their A-game with this one. Very rarely, if ever, is character just shown static with their lips moving, expositing something. There's always a little eye movement or head tilt or some such that makes them seem like actual people acting out the scene... I think it's a big reason why the characters feel so fleshed out, just 4 episodes in Special shout-out to Komari's VA: She has such a wide range of cute non-verbal noises, and her character is simultaneously stuttery & assertive/decisive when she needs to be. Anna may be the main heroine, but Komari has a habit of stealing the scenes. Domvina said: On the question of the number of bows on the girls' uniforms, I read an article the other day about the growing popularity of girly fashion that's less Lolita but still uses bows quite a bit. The uniform design may be a nod to that. Or the creator just likes bows. =P A lot of people can't seem to get past the bows. For me, they were noteworthy for like the first 5 minutes of the show, then they just become normal. It's a little weird that the boys' uniforms are so normal by comparison though. |
| Away from the things of man, my love, away from the things of man. |
boldulysses said: I've been curious about that little Kanji character that rolls around for the last few shots of the OP... Do you mean "恋"? While looking for info on the OP I found a discussion and they said it means "koi" as in romantic love. |
| The tomatoes are coming! Arm the dicer! Prepare the olive oil! |
boldulysses said: A lot of people can't seem to get past the bows. For me, they were noteworthy for like the first 5 minutes of the show, then they just become normal. Same. Though I probably spent too long trying to figure out if there was some hidden code to the colour combinations. XD marklebid said: https://www.animesonglyrics.com/make-heroine-ga-oosugiru/tsuyogaru-girl#tab2 This English translation of the OP is pretty good. Thanks! |
| The tomatoes are coming! Arm the dicer! Prepare the olive oil! |
Domvina said: Though I probably spent too long trying to figure out if there was some hidden code to the colour combinations. XD I did too! Like maybe they were Star Trek uniforms or something. Red: command, gold: operations, blue: medical. Lol. |
| Away from the things of man, my love, away from the things of man. |
Reply to boldulysses
Domvina said:
Though I probably spent too long trying to figure out if there was some hidden code to the colour combinations. XD
Though I probably spent too long trying to figure out if there was some hidden code to the colour combinations. XD
I did too! Like maybe they were Star Trek uniforms or something. Red: command, gold: operations, blue: medical. Lol.
| @boldulysses Usually girls in different grades have different colored ties, accessories, etc. on their uniforms so you can tell who are your senpais ;) If that's the case I can't figure out the pattern  |
MenchiK1Aug 5, 2024 6:19 AM
| ^That's a great group picture of all the girls. MenchiK1 said: If that's the case I can't figure out the pattern I don't think there is a pattern. They just coordinate with the girls' natural coloring. It kind of makes sense that they would let them personalize it a bit if they're going to make them wear something so silly looking, haha. |
| Away from the things of man, my love, away from the things of man. |
boldulysses said: I don't think there is a pattern. They just coordinate with the girls' natural coloring. It kind of makes sense that they would let them personalize it a bit if they're going to make them wear something so silly looking, haha. Yeah I thought about he grade thing last night, but Lemon, Komari and Anna are all in the same grade. Lemon's ribbons match her hair ornament (lemon with a leaf) Anna's are yellow and her hair color Komari's are her hair color and orange...which kind of go together like autumn colors. Koto's are ...maybe the color of her eyes? and orange. The yandere student council member is obviously the color of her sweater |
| ^Yeah seems like the only requirements are: 1. Two alternating colors 2. Four total bows |
| Away from the things of man, my love, away from the things of man. |
Domvina said: I noticed that right away, but I don't think it's supposed to show neglect. I think it's there to make the world look lived in to add to the feeling of this being a real place with real people.Something I keep noticing is how on most of the exterior shots of the school there's rust and other signs of neglect. There's been quite a lot of talk about how grade schools in Japan are shuttering from a lack of students. Though this school seems to have its share, there's a nicely subdued vibe it's not as well-maintained as schools in other high school anime. boldulysses said: Yeah I looked her up because usually you here certain VA's doing certain types of characters, but her voice wasn't familiar to me. She only has a few recent credits so she must be new.Special shout-out to Komari's VA: She has such a wide range of cute non-verbal noises, and her character is simultaneously stuttery & assertive/decisive when she needs to be. Anna may be the main heroine, but Komari has a habit of stealing the scenes. |
| Cursive is the future. - Nate Bargatze |
| Holy crap ANN needs to get a different reviewer. That was THE most phoned-in review I've ever read, 3 full days after the episode aired. What a joke. Maybe I should stop rewarding it with a click, heh. |
| Away from the things of man, my love, away from the things of man. |
boldulysses said: I should stop rewarding it with a click, heh. The only time I use ANN is to try look at stuff like who is on the Production company and what the name of the OP and ED songs and the artists who perform them are. |
| As soon as you said "phoned-in" I knew who it was. But to give GJ some credit, it's one of his better, most enthusiastic reviews I've read in some time. Which admittedly is setting the bar pretty low, but I did get the impression he liked it. I'm sure ANN doesn't pay much, if at all, and he probably has a day job or two on his plate. It'd be nice if he waxed a little more eloquently on a show this surprisingly good, but what he wrote wasn't bad. I'm gonna go back and watch the Koto scene on the steps again. That was the most heartfelt "I've been waiting so long" confession reaction I'd ever seen. Sometimes the childhood friend gets to win one. |
SparkyBobAug 6, 2024 6:41 PM
SparkyBob said: I'm gonna go back and watch the Koto scene on the steps again. That was the most heartfelt "I've been waiting [i]so long[i]" confession reaction I'd ever seen. Sometimes the childhood friend gets to win one. The way she scooted over when he sat down was just *chef's kiss*. Perfection. |
| Away from the things of man, my love, away from the things of man. |
| Also (having rewatched it) a special shout-out to whoever animated Koto's eyes during that scene where she makes the awkward joke about being "just childhood friends." When he doesn't respond like she was hoping, her eyes go from surprised, to hurt, to angry - all without saying a word. And of COURSE Anna has to beat on our boy for no reason. That's what men are FOR. "So how are conversations like this supposed to end, anyway?" <-- LOL |
SparkyBob said: "So how are conversations like this supposed to end, anyway?" <-- LOL I absolutely loved that line! It's a perfect way to remind the audience these are teenagers with very little life experience. |
| The tomatoes are coming! Arm the dicer! Prepare the olive oil! |
| Episode 4: I return Anime isn't so bad this season. The problem remains the incentives, of course; that Makeine exists ought to shame most other anime into being less abysmal, but people don't actually want good anime. Further, even attempts at being good must be watered down; hence the creep nurse and student council officer cleavage-san. We didn't need Lemon to throw off her top in episode two; we were already going to get some far more natural Lemon fanservice in episode three. There are ways to do fanservice well, that don't detract from the sense of the thing. (Cleavage-san was kind of amusing, though; I could imagine a believable, or even satisfying, explanation, but I kind of doubt we'll get one.) This most recent episode did a lot; I don't think it's so obvious guy-who-Anna-liked was wrong to be concerned about her getting over him, nor do I think Anna is blameless in how she dealt with Nukumizu's worries about the gossip (which connects to a far deeper problem in romance anime that try to be more serious in their justifications, that men tend to be doormats corrected by the women). But people behaved seriously and with candor, and managed to deal with multiple problems. Komari manages to be shy without exaggerated debilitation, which is rare enough (get bent, Komi-san), but more than that her intelligence too is realistic. (I won't go into my rant about social epistemology, but TV and movies almost never get smart people right.) For Komari to confess to the guy she likes, turn around and reconcile with him and his new girlfriend after she got rejected, and then turn around again and say getting dumped serves Nukumizu right; this is an advanced character as far as anime goes. And yes, her VA makes Komari even better. Finally—episode 4 was the hurdle here: The first three episodes told us what Makeine was going to be like, but they didn't tell us how intelligent it'd be with where it went. If you're good enough with literature/hermeneutics you can tell if a show's smart, so I expected we'd get something good from episode 4, but this doesn't always happen: Undead Girl Murder Farce took its unique characters and flushed them down the mystery toilet. There were so many directions Makeine could have gone here given the choices other anime have made, and most such directions would have been bad. What we got was not bad. Thus: The three-episode rule is stupid. The most important rule of anime watching is the zero-episode rule: Most anime sucks, therefore you should just ignore most anime. My next rule is for the first episode: It should demonstrate there's something there that makes it not suck like everything else. One episode is almost always enough for me to decide if I want to watch an anime, which is why I almost never drop anime. Only rarely does it take me two episodes to decide there's something worth following there, and once I decide that I usually stick with a show for at least a few more episodes. Because it takes that long for the thing to develop. This is why, when I do drop an anime, it's usually around episode 5. Both Wotakoi and BOFURI I dropped at episode 5, because I realized they weren't going to live up to their potential, and they became exhausting. I'm pretty sure I dropped Komi-san Can't Communicate at episode 11; Komi herself was terrible, but I held out hope for Najimi. When that happens I often hate the thing, because it strung me along but ended up insisting on being stupid. Undead Girl Murder Farce did the same thing. And lol, I read that ANN review mentioned above. Mostly correct, and not bad given how rote I imagine these things can get, but it's pretty wooden, and the "straddles" and "minutia" things are embarrassing. |
| I love him who is ashamed when the dice fall in his favour and who then asks: Am I then a cheat? – for he wants to perish. |
| Welcome back! Kind of surprised you're watching this one; I thought you gravitated toward the trashier fare... auroraloose said: When that happens I often hate the thing, because it strung me along but ended up insisting on being stupid. That's how I felt about Kiznaiver. Spectacular first episode, premise loaded with possibilities that it....did absolutely nothing with for the next 11 episodes. I kept waiting and waiting for it to "shift up," as it were, and live up to its potential, but it just sputtered along. Not sure what your grading philosophy is, but I typically grade those lower than knowingly mediocre shows. And I hate them. |
| Away from the things of man, my love, away from the things of man. |
Reply to boldulysses
Welcome back! Kind of surprised you're watching this one; I thought you gravitated toward the trashier fare...
That's how I felt about Kiznaiver. Spectacular first episode, premise loaded with possibilities that it....did absolutely nothing with for the next 11 episodes. I kept waiting and waiting for it to "shift up," as it were, and live up to its potential, but it just sputtered along. Not sure what your grading philosophy is, but I typically grade those lower than knowingly mediocre shows. And I hate them.
auroraloose said:
When that happens I often hate the thing, because it strung me along but ended up insisting on being stupid.
When that happens I often hate the thing, because it strung me along but ended up insisting on being stupid.
That's how I felt about Kiznaiver. Spectacular first episode, premise loaded with possibilities that it....did absolutely nothing with for the next 11 episodes. I kept waiting and waiting for it to "shift up," as it were, and live up to its potential, but it just sputtered along. Not sure what your grading philosophy is, but I typically grade those lower than knowingly mediocre shows. And I hate them.
boldulysses said: Welcome back! Kind of surprised you're watching this one; I thought you gravitated toward the trashier fare... Lol—this is somewhat true; sometimes trash has interesting implications. (Love Flops was a gold mine.) But I heard somehow Makeine might actually be good, and when a show is actually good I'll watch. Also I'm in an anime-analyzing mood recently. Kiznaiver got a 7 from me, and I did watch the whole thing. I remember what you mean: It did indeed have potential, and I remember not being satisfied with the ending. I do seem to remember being pleased with what it did somewhere around episode 7 or 8, but I don't think it followed through. Also, wasn't there something about pain awakening the protagonist's childhood memories? |
| I love him who is ashamed when the dice fall in his favour and who then asks: Am I then a cheat? – for he wants to perish. |
| Episode 5 With school back from the summer, the club needs to report what they did during the break to the student council, and they decide to have Kazuhiko's manuscript to report in order to make it look like they were productive. After conversing with Komari about her new story, and Lemon who was changing in the club room, Kazuhiko sees Anna in a cafe, with the rail train moving at light speed according to his imagination, and Anna is blowing off steam. And then Chihaya comes in spying on the two, and they end up in Kazuhiko's room to let him know that Mitsuki is cheating on her. So Chihaya goes spying on Mitsuki while on a date with Lemon, and she gets spotted by him, and telling Kazuhiko to explain everything. Quite a mess Chihaya has found herself in, but by approaching Mitsuki in this manner, she's only making a fool of herself. Now, let's see how this turns out. |
HOOfan_1 said: . The MC certainly seems like he is in the midst of getting friend zoned by these girls so they can vent their frustrations out on him. So who has it worse in that situation, the losing heroines, or the guy who has no chance, but has to listen to the girls vent about their unrequited love? He added another to the friend zone harem |
| So many things. Anna's dad getting paid in somen noodles. The Kaju interview (kind of wish she had done it). Nukumizu's face game on the speeding train car (got an actual laugh out of me). Everyone talking over stacks of boxes in the lit club room. Anna levitating with the power of positive thinking. Chihaya's forehead shine. Anna venting but only from the eyes up. The rotoscoped Lemon fantasy ED. I really can't remember the last time I watched a show where I had no idea where it was going—and I was OK with that. |
| Away from the things of man, my love, away from the things of man. |
| Episode 5: ... This anime suffers from, um, hysteria. Even the best line, I'VE WAITED SO LONG FOR THIS TO COME OUT —Nukumizu-kun, of the book Anybody Who Says I'm Flat-Chested Needs to Step in a Pile of Dog Poop is good for being wild. (But what happened to book kids reading, I don't know, The Count of Monte Cristo? Surely there are Japanese analogs to non-garbage books.) Again we have the sister's needless antics, and Cleavage-san of the student council. I gave this an 8 after episode 4, but it may have to go back down to a 7. Well, it's difficult to be consistently good, especially when we're talking anime. |
| I love him who is ashamed when the dice fall in his favour and who then asks: Am I then a cheat? – for he wants to perish. |
| MenchiK1 said: Also Lemon really living up to her nickname (early porno stuff in Japan always had Lemon inthe name "Creamy Lemon, Lemon kids etc.) TIL Amazing what you find out about in discussion groups. However, being a sucker for tan lines, I had no complaints. |
MenchiK1 said: Shiny foreheads really are an epidemic in Japan aren't they? It's kinda strange. I'd seen this before and was led to believe that in Japan bangs are considered "cute" and women preferred not to show off their foreheads. And yet I see images from Japan of everyday women and have had Japanese friends who regularly wear their hair in styles that show off their foreheads. So which is it? Or is this some other trope I'm unaware of with a different meaning? Absolutely loved this episode. After the heavy drama of the last it was a nice "palette cleanser". And A-1 once again going hard on the animation delving into different styles and stylizations. The way Asagumo was posed as she dumped the responsibility of explaining the situation on Nukumizu was gold. I feel like I've seen it before, but I can't place in which anime. |
| The tomatoes are coming! Arm the dicer! Prepare the olive oil! |
It should be pointed out, BTW, that Kaju is exactly right: Anna & Nukumizu are becoming their own belated "childhood friends" of a sort: Mutual friend group, casually hanging out together (lunch & cafés), funny banter, body language (fist bumps), shared goals (figuring out what's going on with Lemon & Mitsuki), etc. It's flying under their radar & ours because of the lack of overt romantic chemistry signaled by the fact that they talk to each other like normal friends, so we believe them when they say there's no subtext to their friendship. But all the building blocks are there, which will make it all the more satisfying if/when they do fall in love. The sudden epiphany approach, rather than the slow burn, in other words. Or the show might decide to throw us a curveball and not pair them up... I guess we'll see. |
boldulyssesAug 11, 2024 1:55 PM
| Away from the things of man, my love, away from the things of man. |
marklebid said: The hand motion is like "And now presenting..." It reminds me of the Showcase girls on Price is Right |
Domvina said: The way Asagumo was posed as she dumped the responsibility of explaining the situation on Nukumizu was gold. I feel like I've seen it before, but I can't place in which anime. It felt really familiar to me as well. I'm thinking maybe Mako from Kill La Kill? |
| Forgot to mention the scene where Anna & Chihaya were picking apart Nukumizu's wall hanging. Saved by Kaju who spoils the story for him in the process. Utterly brilliant how Anna was asking very obvious questions in her deadpan voice. |
| Away from the things of man, my love, away from the things of man. |
Reply to SparkyBob
Domvina said:
The way Asagumo was posed as she dumped the responsibility of explaining the situation on Nukumizu was gold. I feel like I've seen it before, but I can't place in which anime.
The way Asagumo was posed as she dumped the responsibility of explaining the situation on Nukumizu was gold. I feel like I've seen it before, but I can't place in which anime.
It felt really familiar to me as well. I'm thinking maybe Mako from Kill La Kill?
| @SparkyBob It was really giving me Trigger/Gainax vibes as well. |
| The tomatoes are coming! Arm the dicer! Prepare the olive oil! |
| Episode 6 So in the end, Lemon was just asking for relationship advice Mitsuki wasn't trying to cheat on Chihaya, but it ended up looking that way. So to clear the air, Mitsuki is taking everybody out for a day of fun at the museum. But Lemon didn't exactly feel all that great on the outing that she ended up going home separately, and then she goes to the countryside to visit her grandmother. With the club concerned about Lemon that they head out to see her at granny's place and they end up spending the night there and having a sushi dinner as well. When it comes to romantic relationship Lemon is down in the dumps, but it doesn't take much for her to put on that cheery attitude. Lemon sure has a nice grandmother and it's no wonder why she became the person she is. |
MenchiK1 said: Not sure who I like better between the two, glad the show is being pretty ambiguous about them. for my money, Lemon is best girl. |
| Underboob with tan lines. That is all. |
| I figured it was going to be that sort of situation with Mitsuki. Lemon is firmly in the camp of losing heroines and that wasn't about to change. Mitsuki would probably be better off with Lemon though seeing how Chihaya gave him a bracelet with a GPS tracker in it. Seeing how Lemon and Anna deal differently with the same situation, at least on the surface, and how Chihaya is handling thinking that she is on the verge of the same situation. Nuk kun should be trying to push Lemon and Anna to talk more so they can commiserate over their shared heartbreak. And maybe get Komari in there too. I guess that would take away from his role as being the one to give all these girls a shoulder to cry on. I don't really care for Lemon's tan lines. But everything else about her is just my type. Maybe she could be a little shorter though. I didn't realize at first how tall she was. |
| Cursive is the future. - Nate Bargatze |
| I'm still on Team Anna, mostly because she's exactly the kind of girl I would have had a massive crush on in high school with absolutely zero chance of ever going out with. The introvert-extrovert axis of attraction only flows one way, at least in my experience. Sleeping in the car with food all over her face after her "sugar revelation" was hilarious. Lemon's pre-bus arrival story was actually really touching. You could tell she wasn't making it up on the spot, but that it had been her fantasy for years probably, but then reality diverged from the fantasy... Impressed Tsukinoki has her driver's license; I can't recall the last time I saw a high school 3rd year driving (Misaki in Sakurasou got her license at the very end of her 3rd year). Some really well off folks in this anime, too. Nukumizu's house is huge, spotless & gorgeous, as is Lemon's grandmother's. |
boldulyssesAug 17, 2024 8:03 PM
| Away from the things of man, my love, away from the things of man. |
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