Weekly Digest: 10/24/11 – Gundam AGE, C3, Majikoi

[sage]_Mobile_Suit_Gundam_AGE_-_03_[720p][10bit][CA6F22B7].mkv_snapshot_16.26_[2011.10.23_15.31.44] [UTW]_C3_Cube_x_Cursed_x_Curious_-_04_[h264-720p][8ACB8555].mkv_snapshot_19.15_[2011.10.23_17.36.07] [Hiryuu] Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!! 04 [Hi10P 1280x720 H264] [9DD8C522].mkv_snapshot_15.50_[2011.10.24_12.01.22]

Gundame AGE – 03

[sage]_Mobile_Suit_Gundam_AGE_-_03_[720p][10bit][CA6F22B7].mkv_snapshot_10.05_[2011.10.23_15.25.22] [sage]_Mobile_Suit_Gundam_AGE_-_03_[720p][10bit][CA6F22B7].mkv_snapshot_12.21_[2011.10.23_15.27.39] [sage]_Mobile_Suit_Gundam_AGE_-_03_[720p][10bit][CA6F22B7].mkv_snapshot_19.44_[2011.10.23_15.35.01]

Nothing terribly groundbreaking in this week’s episode of Gundam AGE.  Just about everything one might have predicted would happen did.  Commander Bruzar sacrificed himself for the colony, though the specifics were interesting.  Thank goodness there happened to be an extra command center after the first one was destroyed, and a maintenance vehicle handy to to zap away the obstruction that was blocking the colony core!  There are a few mysteries, starting with Yurin.  She’s obviously psychic, but just why or indeed who she is I can’t say.  She bounced around on Flit’s lap for a while, held his hand and then when things were over, floated away without so much as a kiss or a tip on the night table – just a pink ribbon to remember her by.  Will she be back?  And then there’s those UE’s, who’re behaving very strangely.  Why did the one Flit was doing battle with retreat just when things were getting desperate?  I don’t believe these things are alien at all, but alien or human they seemed to come to Nora with a very specific agenda of what they wanted to accomplish.

C3 – 04

[UTW]_C3_Cube_x_Cursed_x_Curious_-_04_[h264-720p][8ACB8555].mkv_snapshot_08.41_[2011.10.23_17.25.33] [UTW]_C3_Cube_x_Cursed_x_Curious_-_04_[h264-720p][8ACB8555].mkv_snapshot_13.58_[2011.10.23_17.30.50] [UTW]_C3_Cube_x_Cursed_x_Curious_-_04_[h264-720p][8ACB8555].mkv_snapshot_16.29_[2011.10.23_17.33.22]

The pieces have apparently settled in place with C3.  The scenario looks pretty clear-cut – Haruaki gallantly defends Fear and her cursed brethren as a form of atonement for having cursed them in the first place.  There’s not too much in either the characters or scenario that makes the series distinctive at this point.  The violence is a little more edgy and graphic – I certainly wasn’t expecting Barowei to kill Amanda/Mummy Maker, if indeed she’s dead (which I don’t believe she is).  Konoha is the responsible osananajimi/protector, Fear the loli loose cannon capable of doing damage at any time without meaning to. Everything seems very neat and predictable, and the characters motivations seem very transparent and obvious.  It looks great and has a terrific soundtrack, but the fundamental flaw of C3 is that it just isn’t very interesting – at least for now.  For a series as stylish in appearance as it is, the show is remarkable indistinctive.  The fanservice is a bit more blatant, the violence more graphic and there’s a lot of soft-pedal swearing like “cow tits” and “bitch”, but apart from that nothing really stands out.  If things really pick up I might blog some eps at least in digest form, but for now it’s probably out.

Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!! – 04

[Hiryuu] Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!! 04 [Hi10P 1280x720 H264] [9DD8C522].mkv_snapshot_07.28_[2011.10.24_11.53.01] [Hiryuu] Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!! 04 [Hi10P 1280x720 H264] [9DD8C522].mkv_snapshot_07.59_[2011.10.24_11.53.31] [Hiryuu] Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!! 04 [Hi10P 1280x720 H264] [9DD8C522].mkv_snapshot_21.36_[2011.10.24_12.07.22]

I like some elements of Majikoi, but it’s determined refusal to identify just what exactly it’s trying to be is starting to grow a little tiresome.  It feels as if random scenes from the VN are being adapted in no particular order, and while I did enjoy that sense of disorientation at first, an anime isn’t a VN and as someone who hasn’t played this one, we’re at the point where I need something more.  I’m hopeful that this ep represents something of a conclusion of the intro chapters, as what I believe to be the last two major routes – Kawakami Kazuko (Tomonaga Akane) and Christine Friedrich (Itou Suzuka) get their feature scenes this week.  I enjoyed listening to Yamato spout all his BS about Japanese values while trying to see Chris naked, though the scene went on quite a bit too long.  Kazuko’s chapter was pretty bland, though another random popup by Fukumoto – this time using his crooked elbow as a stand-in for “plump asses” – was quite amusing.   Also – the tomato is a fruit, Yamato, do your research next time.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

8 comments

  1. Z

    Ah, I think you have misunderstood things about Majikoi. It's not random scenes from the VN, it's just random scenes with the characters from the VN. The 'story' takes place after the VN and doesn't follow any routes, with the exception of the first episode which followed the end of the Momo route.

  2. Thanks Znail, but I get that – I understand that it's not literally scenes from the VN, but it feels as though it is. Not having any background with the VN, a lot of what's happening doesn't really make any sense.

  3. b

    The manga is fine as it seems like it tells the beginning of the story, how Chris and Mayucchi joined them and such.
    I find Majikoi much enjoyable now that I've read the manga and know a bit more about the characters. Have yet to play VN.
    And wasnt it Kazuko who said it wasnt a fruit and it was Yamato who corrected her?

  4. Z

    Ah, my main point was that if it had been following the VN, then it would make more sense, even if they had just used random scenes from it. Right now so is the story neither following a plot, nor does it try to introduce the characters, it's just random events.

    It's really strange to make an anime that requires you to have already played the VN to really understand. It also doesn't help that the story writer aren't that great and the characters are dumbed down a lot. There is a lot of friendly banter between the characters in the VN that is totally missing here. In the VN so are they funny and interesting people that happens to have some weird personality quirks, but in the anime so are they only making fun of their personality quirks.

  5. F

    I can't believe Flit let Yurin go. What the hell? She's fucking psychic, AND completely adorable. Idiot.

    Also, C3 is fun, its got bizarre pacing and heavily overwrought visuals (seriously, Shinbo needs to go and give Onuma Shu some follow-up lessons. I thought he'd learned after the visual mess that was tales of melodies…), but god if its not a heck of a lot of fun.

    Between this and Mirai Nikki, its nice to have some shows that know how to do exploitative violence well, unlike a certain show from last season that shall remain nameless.

  6. belatkuro, the subs I saw made it seem as if it was Yamato saying "it's not a fruit anyway"…

  7. b

    The subs I had said 'Tomato is a fruit you know.' And even if the subs were wrong, it wouldnt make sense for Yamato to be wrong on that since he's suppose to be smart and cunning. Oh well.

    To comment on C3, just want to say I'm in disbelief that the enemy here has the same voice as my Irisviel in F/Z. Totally opposite =_=

    As for Gundam, I'm a bit iffy on the Gundam's invulnerability. He's taken those beams of the enemy directly and not so much as a scratch when those beams can take down the other suits of the army.
    But it seems like it's going well and starting to mature a bit with blood and a death.
    Hope it gets better.
    And I lol'd at the person at the end when he was sniffing the air.

  8. e

    are you going to upload the climax battle against the blond women in c3 soon?

Leave a Comment