Discuss individual episodes and first impressions of this anime here; reviews and final impressions should be posted in the Anime Reviews Forum. Post format and full rules can be found here.
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in terms of genre (completely plot unrelated) somewhere between full metal panic and NGE, except some yuri involved
As I said in another thread,
episode 1
[spoiler:948825ccc4] beauty is only skin deep, a prefect example is this show. Jeez, it's like they give away everything in the first episode, no build up no nothing. No anticipation for what will happen next. Too much genres mixed into one and they can't pull one of them off right. So yeah insert the 2 chicks scene and hope it saves the show. IMO you save such a scene for later in the show when ratings start going down. [/spoiler:948825ccc4]
I wonder if the producer/director of this show is inexperienced. For example, you can nuke a town, but if you don't show the fear, panic & devastation it's useless.
4 out of 10 and the 4 is for some of the flash back parts that have peeked my interest. I'll just have to wait and see if this show is worth watching.
Oh by the way, my opinion is way too bias,
[spoiler:948825ccc4] I really hate it when a weak girl has the lead role. If she steps up and does something in the future I might get to like her. Why can't the evil girl have the lead? That would be something I'd like to see.[/spoiler:948825ccc4]
Okay, 11 episodes behind me in one go, and I have to say, this show is something else entirely. Seems to be a mix of Eva and Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito. Considering that character designs are done in very similar style to the latter, the show has quite a bit of shoujo ai appeal, but the plot is truly something else - angst, mystery and episode 11 ends in one hell of a cliffhanger.
I'd recommend this to anyone who likes a good and angsty show with some really messed up (in a good way) plot twists and plenty of fanservice. I especially recommend it to anyone who liked Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito, as it really didn't have any similar shows until this one came out. Especially plot-wise the rather abstract feel that was present in it becomes very powerful in Kannaduki no Miko, which is one of the main reasons why you should overlook the odd things that come in the first episodes, like the "clean" destruction of cities. The show focuses very heavily on the main character and her relations to the two people she loves - the rest of the world is in only for the dramatic effect, which becomes very clear towards the end especially in the last scene in episode 11.
One thing that may turn many people off to this show are the first few episodes. They are only there to set the pace and project the whole "typical cute damsels in distress and big ass robots fighting" image. It gets shattered very nicely and VERY dramatically around 4 episodes or so into the show, where the true eva-esque colors of the show start to come out.
So, anyone having any thoughts on what the last scene in episode 11 entails? Personally I found myself reminded of ending of gilgamesh.
Dear god, please give me back the 5 hours of my life i wasted watching this show. I promise to spend it more wisely this time doing something more constructive like watching paint dry. I won't even complain about the 4 cds i wasted burning this
On a serious note the ending and series as a whole may have meant more to me if they'd done something more with the priestesses. By the time i got to episode 12 i hated both of them with a passion and was hoping
Oogami
was going to kill them. That poor guy was the only semi-interesting character in the whole show and he got the shaft lol. The ending itself was well thought out but as bad as the main characters were it did absolutely nothing for me.
On a serious note the ending and series as a whole may have meant more to me if they'd done something more with the priestesses. By the time i got to episode 12 i hated both of them with a passion and was hoping
Oogami
was going to kill them. That poor guy was the only semi-interesting character in the whole show and he got the shaft lol. The ending itself was well thought out but as bad as the main characters were it did absolutely nothing for me.
Indeed this is one of those "love it or hate it" shows. Personally I enjoyed it a great deal, mainly because I liked the whole unrequited love and sacrifice plot devices. And characters may be "annoying", but only for those that separate "characters" from "plot". When put together, characters fit the plotline seamlessly, and the ending - it was probably the first time I've seen someone pull
spoiler episode 12 and evangelion
evangelion episode 25-26 kind of an ending successfully
dreadful and Lucky, you can't be serious ;) ... Eva had no ending, only (censored). Kannamiko did, with a full conclusion.
I agree with you however that it's a clear love-it-or-hate-it show. I'm also leaning more to the "love" side. The whole mecha shebang fell totally flat, and the main plot construction had a few logical holes, but alas. Its strong part were the characters and the romance part - it certainly featured the best confession scenes I had the pleasure of witnessing in animes yet.
I respectfully disagree with Hakaisha. Souma was so much of a knight in shining armor, full of righteous purity, that it was painful to watch. This guy was totally one-dimensional with no character development whatsoever. He was so good and likable that I soon couldn't stand him anymore ^_^ ... boring to the extreme. More of a plot device than a character.
The real proponent of the anime was Chikane, of course. Very complex personality with lots of inner quarrels going on. I found especially her inner conflict intriguing that by trying to fulfil Himeko's wishes even when they went against her own interests she was gradually losing her - and what she ultimately decided to do.
In hindsight, this anime offered a shameful strikeout (mecha), a single (story) and a grand-slam homerun (confessions). Way enough for a passing grade in my book ^_^
I am series, though not in terms of whether it reached the conclusion but in the way it was presented ("philosophy" on what happened) and why, when and what if's/alternate reality, and some mind****ing as well.
Only if you're picky. In reality, if the characters are "uber-cool" but don't fit the plot, they are worthless. And if they are "annoying" but fit the plot perfectly, it's just a part of the excellence of the design. Imo of course =p
By semi interesting i meant that he was the only character with a background. I don't feel like typing out a big long spoiler but i'm pretty sure you know what i mean. Chikane and Himeko had 30 seconds of background and that was at the very end and by then i quite honestly didn't care. To each their own.
As for seperating plot and characters i don't see how you can't. The best example i can think of is from one of my top 3 shows of all time, Juuni Kokki. The plot of that show was epic, bar none the best plot of any anime i've ever seen. As good as the plot was they did an equally good job carefully crafting each character so that they were more than just plot pushers. From start to stop there are no characters in Juuni Kokki who were irrelevant all of them were integral to the story and all had a story of their own. Chikane and Himeko could definitely been written alot better than angsty confused girl and whiney crying girl which is what they were lol. Yes the plot surrounding them may or may not have been interesting but they imo weren't.
Well, if you want to go that way, then 12kingdoms main character was "confused and angsty" at first and "whiney (alhough not crying) girl" later. However the plot and the characters were seamlessly woven together, so everyone loved it.
And in the end, it's all about personal preference. If you dislike their personalities, that's just fine. I happened to like them, as they fit the plot seamelessly imo. And as mentar said, a near-perfect confession scene - and I truly don't see that happening with "cool" characters.
By semi interesting i meant that he was the only character with a background. I don't feel like typing out a big long spoiler but i'm pretty sure you know what i mean.
To be honest - no, I don't. Souma got exactly the same "minimal" introduction which Himeko and Chikane got. There was no difference in background I could perceive.
Two issues made him feel shallow and boring to me: First, that he had no real faults or weaknesses. He was a nice guy all around, ever loyal and faithful, never wavering. Really good characters define themselves over their _flaws_, not strengths. Here he was painfully nondescript. But the biggest problem I had was that he never faced any real dilemmas. "I'll stand by Himeko and protect her come hell or high water" was answer for every single situation he encountered. No character development, no conflicting interests, emotions or goals - nothing. He stayed the same throughout the entire anime. Great guy, and great bore. IMHO.
Chikane and Himeko had 30 seconds of background and that was at the very end and by then i quite honestly didn't care. To each their own.
Yep. But that's only the background. What I'm referring to is the development things took from there. KannaMiko was really great there.
Take for example Chikane, one of the most complex and intriguing anime characters ever IMHO. In the brilliant episode 6,
her side of the story was told, her interests and motivations explored and her inner turmoil displayed. Especially when she gradually learned that her primary objective (concentrating on Himeko's happiness) would lead to her own demise (see episode 7). I found it very impressive how her internal struggle was narrated - a struggle which Souma never had to undergo.
I can understand if this is something you may dislike, but "boring"? I don't think so.
As for seperating plot and characters i don't see how you can't. The best example i can think of is from one of my top 3 shows of all time, Juuni Kokki.
You're comparing a 40+ episode epic with a 12-episode half-season anime here, you're aware of that, right? Not very fair, wouldn't you agree? :)
Chikane and Himeko could definitely been written alot better than angsty confused girl and whiney crying girl which is what they were lol. Yes the plot surrounding them may or may not have been interesting but they imo weren't.
I found Chikane way more interesting and complex than Youko in the first arc up to ep13. WAY more interesting. Youko gained more depth in the upcoming episodes, no doubt - but we're talking 12 eps here.
