Arknights: Touin Kiro Episode 8 Discussion

what did ch'en see down the sewage?
and pls tell me that fury dragon dog looking ass guy is getting a punch in the face!!

Yes, as someone who never knew of the existence or so much as consciously even heard and registered its name prior to late last year and a completely random happenstance leading me to watching the series, I continue to remain pleased and impressed with the living breathing environment they've created for this one and the passion which oozes out of it.

I enjoyed this season as well - both every episode individually and the whole collective package, but if anything and if forced to choose, by at least a decent bit I prefer the first for still containing some of the single most powerful moments in its scenes - in terms of voiced lines of dialogue, use and incorporation of the OST, direction of battle scenes, etc. up to now. I still don't think anything tops the last two episodes of the last season - the raging battle at the quarry site on Lungmen's outskirts and the multiple existential crises of characters' faiths and worldview on top of and in conflict with one another. Though the last two episodes of this season, episode two as a whole, and some other randomly interspersed scenes and moments definitely, at least, if not quite matching or exceeding them, serve as an adequate spiritual successor during season two.

In reading all the comments on the sub-forums for this and season one, the reviews for Arknights as an anime on MAL (both seasons, but especially season one's since it's been out a lot longer and has significantly more of them), and comments on other forums and anime database websites, one thing I still cannot disagree more and reject in full is the shitting on season one. It's just the complete antithesis of how I feel about it and what it achieved. For somebody to whom the games meant nothing and were a non-entity because I had zero prior knowledge, season one as an introduction to the series provided some of the most captivating and powerful moments that I had seen from anime all that year, and which you don't always see executed with such finesse in the average anime series you watch, and without that loving skillful hand I would never have continued with the series and probably just considered watching it some misplaced errant curiosity and a failed experiment. But you could sense the seriousness with which it was taken and that made Terra feel alive.

In turn, I got interested in reading up on the world and its lore, and who'd have thought a post-apocalyptic science fantasy world of such intricate detail would have been crafted for a mobile smartphone game (which I believe is also a gacha game? Although I'm not familiar with that whole subset of games and all the nitty-gritty mechanics on how they work).

Anyway, while some have commented in this place and beyond that season two was an improvement over season one or that they're glad, in effect, that season two salvaged or rescued the series from a rocky start of the lackluster and disappointing first season, I instead also enjoyed season two, but don't see it that way at all. Rather I'm glad season two continued to appear to be reaching for the same high standard and honor the stakes and gravitas which season one very much imparted. To me it meant that it wasn't as if season one was a one-off fluke and that the show was going to go downhill immediately after.

The only thing that still bothers me from last season is that Doctor has so little speaking lines and are just there, while still not having any presence, and i know it's a self insert character from the game, but they could have tried to make doctor more of a character than they are in the game(doctor is really smart in the game), that's what usually makes or breaks a game adaptation is on how they use the MC( i hope they don't do this to the Sensei from Blue archive anime when it comes out, or rather if they remove the mc entirely like in azure lane game :P)

Otherwise a decent season 6/10

was expecting the singing to last twice as long at least, and the fight to last at least twice as long with one or two more random operators...big let down. it basically ended up being a rushed summary overall, now that it's finished.

i understood a lot of the choices made in season 1, but then they repeated those same choices for season 2 even though it had vastly improved ideas and scenarios already created for it. (Sasha's death was dragged out and garbage in the anime, but actually sudden and shocking in the visual novel game)

Awww I wanted to see Ch'en pulling her sword on Wei, what a pity.

Anyway, the season had some underwhelming traits, but this episode, is just flawless.

@WatchTillTandava That is what I think season 1, and the early game as well, still manages to do right. Even getting to look back at the writing with the anime, it still introduces the viewer to a well-designed world that was ripe for stories. However, the anime still failed in it's own ways. Like I could only take so many fights where the reunion guys just... stand there to be hit without moving. Season 2 just has better writing in the source material and had proper love given to the animation elements, excluding episode 5 (Edit: I meant 4).

I still remember first downloading the game, and the update screen is a slideshow of different game terminology. Even before you start you are being introduced to oripathy with a little girl sitting in an alley with rocks on her skin, or originium itself with the massive crystals jutting out of the land. It does well to gather your interest, and I still think the early writing is better than many other gachas.

@xBLEVx >excluding episode 5

I believe you mean episode 4 as 5 was fantastic.

I don't play the game so the adaptation might be lacking in one aspect or another, but for an anime it was a great season. I'd be lying if I said things were great from start to finish, honestly the first 5 were dragging quite a bit in my opinion, which sucks but makes the finale even more epic. For a villain, FrostNova feels to have more depth as a character than Talulah who only says one liners, so a massive improvement. My favorite moment has to be from episode 7 where the Snow Devil Platoons suggest a truce with Rhodes to save their respective leaders. They may be enemies on the battlefield, but outside they're just drinking buddies!

That being said, the season ended in such a massive cliffhanger! I wish they would step up the violence during combat scenes too. Prelude to Dawn almost had no blood while this one does, so that's an improvement. They'd better show us what Ch'en saw down the sewer in the next season!

A solid 8/10.