Well, since it’s still on the “Current Series” list, I may as well…
- Definitely better than last week. Focus on Jou and B-K is a huge improvement.
- Miyano Mamoru – I can’t even… What a beautifully out-of-control performance. Best anime lunatic in ages.
- While we wait for the much longed-for battle between Chrollo and Hisoka (that may never happen), this ep of Gatchaman at least offers a small taste of what it might be like.
- Just how crazy is O.D.’s power if Paiman won’t even let him unleash it knowing that Berg-Katze is kicking everyone’s ass? And how crazy is Berg’s if even O.D. couldn’t finish him?
- I was all set to rally behind Pai-Pai going all GAR, but that was one of the most hilarious displays of spectacular cowardice ever. “Leader” my ass.
- Hajime still not working for me. She definitely comes off as alien in this ep, which is at least interesting – and would at least explain why she’s so unrelatable as a character. But we’ve been given no insight into her character and why she does what she does (and why she’s always two steps ahead of everyone else without putting in any effort).
- I just don’t see any reason why I should care about Hajime, because I don’t think we’ve been given any. From a character standpoint, this is a very sloppily written show – some characters have real arcs (mostly the minor ones) and some are complete ciphers.
- Visually, this was certainly the best episode in a while, and maybe overall. It was the first time the overall presentation really looked competent.
- On the whole, this was enough to give me some hope that the show might finally be coalescing from a mess of intermittently interesting elements into a cohesive whole that’s worthy of the premise. But there’s still a long way to go.
Kaname
August 24, 2013 at 5:36 amUh… where are all the pictures? Is this your actual commentory or a trial run of it?
TQ
admin
August 24, 2013 at 6:18 amI effectively decided to drop GC after last week and frankly don't want to devote the time required to do a full post based on what it's showed me so far. But that said, I did watch the ep, did find it better than the last couple (as stated in the post) and I figured I may as well do a quick writeup of my impressions.
melodic thoughts
August 24, 2013 at 5:38 amsince you're already at it, do continue this brief thoughts for gatchaman crowds! even two lines is fine
Croos Cruz
August 24, 2013 at 6:15 amI think Hajime has the thinking of UNDERSTANDING and thus influencing people around her.
It's like when you see someone steals a bag/food/Jewel on the street, I bet almost everyone will think immediately that this "GUY IS BAD!" and not immediately thinking that the person might be : hungry, desperate or had a hard time on life.
For Pai-pai, I bet that before the current members were alive, he might been a good leader and doing a lot of good decisions and saving a lot of lives. I guess he might have change when that BERG-KATZE guy killed his team thus leading pai-pai, as of now, confused in making decision and passing them to JJ in desperate situations.
About BERG-KATZE, I think, like Hajime who understand people it two views(bad or good), BERG-KATZE also understands human emotions.
I just think that his sense of justice is different from the others GATCHAMAN.
Something like:
"Why do this humans still do the same bad thing over and over when their hearts doesn't talk the same thing as their body."
I think that's why he is angry.
Athos
August 24, 2013 at 6:31 amReasons we should care about Hajime? I guess… hm… well, a) she has breasts, and b) she doesn't stop thinking. She's like some sort of… bizarre… obnoxious mentor figure in disguise or something. They don't want us to root for her, they want us to listen to her. Her only job is to make us keep making questions.
You're completely right, though. If you can't find Hajime attractive, you're gonna have a very rough time with the show because she's pretty much taken over by now.
admin
August 24, 2013 at 7:19 amAt this point I'm really hoping she's alien, because any other explanation for her behavior is likely to be so far-fetched (was that the name of a Pokemon?) as to piss me the hell off.
Roger
August 24, 2013 at 7:45 ami dunno. there's still a lot missing for me to truly appreciate the series. to be honest, Crowds feels more like a philosophical tract rather than an actual story.
ishruns
August 24, 2013 at 10:04 amCan I ask something? Is Crowds just one WTF after the other? Because I can see only one way this will end well for GE and that is for the biggest WTF in it to be saved for last and be considered a deus ex machina that saves the day. I dropped it at ep 1 for all concerned (didn't like anything about it).
Brainuser
August 24, 2013 at 10:22 amEven Hajime is feeling the heat. You can see it when she says that she feels alone. Being the smartest of the Gatchaman and being unable to win in a straight fight, its up to her to find the answer. And with the consequences confirmed to be on a planetary level by Berg, the burden became heavier. She needs Rui, who also has a high level of intellect but without all his rationalizations, self doubts and hypocrisy.
I'm wondering if OD and Berg is simply a single being split into 2 or is actually a clone/parent body relationship similar to Utsutsu except their consciousness split due to too much cloning (similar to Utsutsu's identity crisis)
Croos Cruz
August 24, 2013 at 1:30 pmFor some reason Enzo, this post is easy to read.
d(^_^d)
Upscaled (K Robert M)
August 24, 2013 at 4:03 pmThe fight between Jou and Berg Katze sounded like a fight between Chrollo playing Hisoka and Hisoka playing Chrollo pretending to be duped.
Eternia
August 24, 2013 at 4:54 pm@brainuser: OD's split/other half/clone? I don't think so. From what I have seen so far, Berg Katze is a superior being compared to OD or Pai-pai. OD and Pai-Pai are aliens, from their talks, it seems that they have taken refugee on earth after they have failed to save several planets from destruction. [I am still unsure about Utsusu]. Adding the fact that Katze can draw Gatchaman notebook out of people, he must from the same world / same species as JJ.
Anyway, I hope you are going to cover this show until the end, Enzo. Yes, this show is unarguably a sloppy written story. The author has a basic outline in his head, but he is awful at pacing and arcs. Still, it is a very stylish and entertaining anime. You are being unfair at it because you hate Hajime.