What did you think of this episode?
5Loved it!
50.9%
323
4Liked it!
33.8%
214
3It was OK
10.4%
66
2Disliked it
4.3%
27
1Hated it
0.6%
4
Average 4.3
634 votes
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| <strong>THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.</strong><br />---------------------------------------- <br /><br />Well this was another interesting episode. I liked how it dealt with a touchy subject and the cinematography was just incredible. So far this is a very unique series and I hope that the other stories are just as interesting as this first one was. Thus, I'm looking forward to the next episode. |
| Umm, agreed. More people should be watching this series. Cant wait for next ep, ^^. |
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| Very good episode. Everything was top-notch: directing, characterization, art. Although I kind of hoped for more fluid animation. |
zanmato666 said: Well this was another interesting episode. I liked how it dealt with a touchy subject and the cinematography was just incredible. So far this is a very unique series and I hope that the other stories are just as interesting as this first one was. Thus, I'm looking forward to the next episode. yea i totally agree. but the only thing was, i didnt get what the heck happened in the end! i mean did she miscarriage? or give birth? or what??! |
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| I'm thinking that thing with the blood was just another illusion.:O |
 Old avatar and sig retired for now. |
| This was a really good episode. I also was confused about whether she miscarried or what though. I hope the rest of the series stays as intense as this!!! |
| I love that this arc was so brave with its subject matter. There was no tiptoeing around it, and that's admirable. The ending was ambiguous, but I think the whole series is like that. I just think that it was amazing to start off with an arc like this that was so brutal and heavy and honest...and heartbreaking, in its own way. |
| Okay this episode was much much better than the previous one, and I'm starting to get accustomed to how texturized the scenes are (except the characters still look quite freaky, especially the baby with that gross, thick hair on its back, o_0) |
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| The ending to this arc was fantastic. I never thought it would come to something like that, how interesting. The symbolic references throughout this episode and to quote: zanmato666 said: the cinematography was just incredible. It's like watching a real Japanese painting or storybook. |
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| the 1st ep blasted my brain, and the same with this one, and it was rather surprising when i started to understand what's going on though the ending is so obscure and..and the woman is rather ugly and unpleasant, i wish her not to have such lips, such hair and such freckles boo.. |
| Awesome. Although, I am somewhat confused.... did she miscarry the baby? Or was that simply an illusion? I LOVE how ppl are comparing this to Gankutsuou! Just finished that anime a few hours ago. Although both are "abstract" per-say, this show is MUCH more abstract and the animation is unique in a completely diff way. BOTH are interesting to watch and have an excellent story tho. |
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| Pretty intense episode The sountrack's awesome! But am I the only one with a wtf did I just watch feeling? |
| "The weak get washed away by the tides of fate...The strong drink it up."-Godot |
ZoiQ said: medicine seller is so GAR +1 This ep scared the shit out of me. Babies are creepy. |
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Muggleish said: Am I the only one who cried for this episode ? I didn't cry but a tear did fall from one eye. I felt bad for those babies. |
puedjies said: I'm starting to get accustomed to how texturized the scenes are Ditto. I think. Maybe because I felt more "prepared" for it after having watched the first episode... pacuuuuu3 said: But am I the only one with a wtf did I just watch feeling? Nope! You're definitely not alone. I felt confused for a large part of this episode... and only just barely grasped what was going on nearer to the end. Even then, though, I wasn't 100% I really understood. In any case, I think I liked this episode better than the first... If I can be sure of one thing, it's that this anime certainly grabs your attention. |
| This ep surpassed the 1st ep. It was much more symbolic and the animation with the paper fold was nice. As to the story, I sense that it will be much like Mushishi. Tackling with life circumstances due to some supernatural elements and makes you think deeper than what you see. The woman's decision was really risky. Giving birth to a Mononoke and risking her unborn child's life. The end was ambiguous as to what really happened but she looks happy tho. Looking forward for more of this. =) |
| Beautiful, I love how Mononoke actually manages to use it's visuals to tell an effective story along with strong writing. But, I don't know, to me it seemed as though the woman at the end was sort of mentally broken or something as if the visions she saw warped her mind and, if she did in fact miscarriage, she may have went insane or something. I'm not really sure, though. |
| "Yes, I have been deprived of emotion. But not completely. Whoever did it, botched the job." - Geralt of Rivia |
katsup said: This was a really good episode. I also was confused about whether she miscarried or what though. I hope the rest of the series stays as intense as this!!! This. |
 "Only the dead have seen the end of war". ~Plato~ |
| this episode was a total mindrape!! D: D: i swear to god it was like a japanese version of the shining! i may have nightmares tonight. (@______@) |
| I still find myself lost in the art style! |
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| I won't say scary yet, but that was disturbing as hell. This was a very well told and solid story. I guess the series will continue with this format, small arcs till the end? I hope they delve a little into the Medicine Seller character before the ending. Anyway it's still too soon to make any guesses. |
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| Since there doesn't seem to be much dissection here... I think she did have a miscarriage at the end. Those dharma? dolls symbolize the babies. She had one attached to her by a red ribbon, but it cracked. Also, her baby is shown as the same as the others when it talks to her, possibly meaning it too died and became a mononoke like the other infant souls that had died in the inn. Also, at the end, we see her laying down with a kimono draped across her midriff, showing that the miscarriage scene wasn't entirely an illusion. Another thing is that she keeps experiencing pain throughout the two episodes, which isn't exactly a good sign of your baby's health. (but I know nothing about pregnancy, so...) |
| I like the trippy (psuedo) period art (periodelia?) i sort of got the impression she was meant to be a foreigner with the hair, lips and freckles. but other characters have an exaggerated, foreign look like everyone else i was confused at the ending though, she said "i'll be your mother" then "sorry i couldn't be your mother", the sword changed (so... did "regret" materialise or not? whose regret were we looking for anyway?) and things happened. Guess it will take a rewatch / getting used to what's "meant" to happen |
| Well, that was certainly a trip - a visually stunning and somewhat disturbing episode. The story ends rather ambiguously. At first it seems as if both she and her baby were saved but, perhaps, she really did miscarry and is now the soon to be mother of a mononoke. Still, not having a cut and dry ending does not really bother me and, in fact, it just adds to the mysterious aura of the show. I am interested to see what kind of strange things the next arc holds. |
| for all the ones wondering what happened to the pregnant woman, just continue to watch after the credits, i took that as an hint just the mononoke got removed |
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Muggleish said: Am I the only one who cried for this episode ? You're not alone, this was a beautifully directed arc. |
| My brother and I compose classical and modern music, please click the link below if you're interested. http://thesearethetwins.wordpress.com/ Please check out my profile to see what anime I recommend. Keep pursuing your dreams! ~ Wynn |
| Ehhh, it was alright. Not loving it yet. |
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| I don't know. I just don't know. Anything. If I like it, if I got what happened (I think I did but not 100% sure about everything), if it is one of the best or just one of the weirdest. Will see... |
| Pretty disturbing but well it ended all well... seems this was the end of that chapter or so I think, so lets see what's next! |
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| That was great! Very disturbing and touching episode, glad to see she didn't actually have a miscarriage. Now i'm wondering what the next arc will hold for us :) |
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| I think she did have a miscarriage... and now she's going to give birth to the Mononoke. They did show how her baby "broke" after she removed the seal (?), and then they showed it like the other dead babies. And after the ED song, it doesn't look like she's pregnant anymore. Overall, this was beautifully done. I had to rewatch it once to get it, though. Not really used to seeing so much symbolism in anime. |
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| Wow all I have to say is that this anime has me very impressed 2 episodes in. Hugely intense and emotional, and the animation while I thought I wouldn't like it, turned out to be some of the best art I've seen. I love how they dealt with this very intense, touchy subject and pulled everything off flawlessly. I was shocked, sad, anxious and in the end happy/satisfied at the result (I think her child is alright, either way it's quelled). All in all I'm glad I chose to start this series and now I'm worried I'll finish it too quickly because I won't be able to stop. |
| sooo fucking weird i love it ^-^ |
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| All the symbolism...I love it :D |
"May those who accept their fate be granted happiness." "May those who defy their fate be granted glory." |
| I cried a lot the first time I watched this arc. The second time around it hit me even harder. ;w; |
"Be the change you wish to see in the world."  |
| That was scary. |
| Your honor, I never wrote this post. |
| Nice. Confused, but nice. I'm still trying to know if the woman is pregnant of her baby, of the Mononoke, of both or none of them. |
clippert0n said: Here's my interpretation: At the end of the episode her baby is still alive and well. I think the key to understanding it comes mainly from a couple of key plot points within the episodes. First, the medicine seller states that "regret" is necessary for the sword to be drawn. This regret stems from the pregnant woman, who I'd guess had previously miscarried a child, which would explain not only the regret aspect, but also why she seemed overly desperate for the life of her child this time around. It also helps explain the yellow doll that she carried with her, probably in memory of the miscarried child. This ties into the key scene of the episode, where there is a pile of urns, with the yellow urn being attached to her via the red fabric where the rest are all in their own separate area. The yellow urn is the same color as the doll she carries around with her. Probably what sealed the deal for this for me was when she stated "I'm sorry I could not give birth to you" to the yellow newborn which came from the yellow urn. Doesn't entirely explain why the medicine man was able to quell the mononoke, I'm assuming he used the sword possibly to calm it. diianiih said: Such nice art, all the details man i love it. About the end: I think she did had a miscarriage of her child but she is pregnant with the mononoke now, at the end she appears with the charm she lost in the begining. I think the red clothes of the babies represented the umbilical cord as that represents the union between mother and baby, and i love how everyone was trying to reach her with it Thank you for helping me understand more about these 2 episodes. |
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