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This show has more pan than my local bakery.
I continue to find Ryo-timo’s approach to fanservice far more interesting than I probably should. It seems to me that there are fanservice shows in plenty, and then there are non-fanservice shows where a glimpse of panties is a shocking and rare event – and then there’s Yozakura Quartet. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a show that’s quite so matter-of-fact about its pantsu shots – the camera just goes there and sets up camp for a while. It may not be the most interesting thing to be distinctive about, but any time a show is different from every other I’ve seen that makes it sort of interesting in itself.
As for the this week’s episode, it serves very much as both a breather and a bridge between two major arcs. The last few eps have been pretty intense, and the series now seems set to more or less retrace the ground of the OVA – though by the looks of the preview there are going to be significant changes. This week we’re back in that strange zone YQ naturally reverts to, where it feels as if the episode starts and ends in the middle of another episode. Stuff just happens, and most of it in the first half is pretty much atmospherics – Shinozuka and the vampire moeblobs going from station to station getting their Sakura Newtown rally cards stamped. There’s a bit of tension in the air between Akina (I think, on balance, this may be Kaji Yuuki’s most natural performance in any series) and Hime over the revelation that she’s a youkai, but you know that’s not going to have legs.
It’s in the second half where a few interesting things start to happen, and the heavy lifting to set up the next arc begins. Whenever Yuuhi slums with the mortals and gets directly involved in their affairs (always claiming he’s not while he is) interesting usually follows – and this time he pulls the strings on a meeting between Akina and Hime and the elders, in order to make sure a crucial piece of information reaches the pair. Yuuhi also gives them a piece of information directly – it was the elders who came up with the anti-youkai field, and it’s already deployed in all the neighboring towns. We haven’t had much involvement from the elders in this adaptation, but they’re a highly important power center in this mythology, and not exactly what you would call allies of the heroes. This story has a lot of characters whose true loyalties are rather opaque, which is one of the elements that makes it interesting.
As usual, one of the big recurring themes here is Akina being caught in the middle – between his ideals, the elders, Enjin – and now Enjin’s new allies, the youkai hunters. There seems little disagreement that the two dimensions are going to merge, or that it’s a bad thing – the problem is that all the options to stop it from happening rely on Akina, and he finds them all unacceptable. He can tune every demon in town without knowing what kind of world he’s sending them to, he can sacrifice many of them by using their power to tune the pillars, or he can do nothing and let the dimensions collide (which sounds like a really bad idea. Akina is caught in the middle, just as his grandfather was, and that seems to be the curse his family has been asked to bear.
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Gary Cochran
November 27, 2013 at 6:50 pmIs this 1 or 2 cours? I hope its 2 as major events are about to happen and will take alot more then 1 cour to resolve,
thedarktower
November 27, 2013 at 10:47 pm@Gary
1cour I am afraid
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YQ made this ep to serve as a relief for events before. yet it doesn't fully stop. it's like they are.."in a hurry" or try to make it to the end (like when you figured it's starting to get late so you're packing quickly). don't get me wrong – it's not like the pace was bad. but..there is this feeling like they are trying to push details in such a hurry way. (Enzo described it as " if the episode starts and ends in the middle of another episode" which is somehow part of what I am trying to say here).
so one should wonder why they "wasted" time on the first EPs of this series. I guess they wanted to build the story, and it does make sense, but it could've been more balanced if we are going to get high-pace events again.
not that it's bad, I bet YQ will do it well enough. but I think 2cour could make us more calm.
(side note: besides that, I don't know how is the mixing in the arcs of the manga is happening. from what I have been told they are faithful to manga, yet there is some..mix in the arcs in order to make it to the arc which bears the series name. the connection of this EP to the OVA is quite the proof that there is some..mix here)
well, with that being said, I was quite happy about this week. keeps demonstrating Akina and Hime 'burden'. those two are really committed and try to do their best, it's their nature. but when the elders keeps create difficulties, they simply won't move forward. and it's like nothing really changed in the issue of how to save our lovely town.
it's very intriguing to watch the dynamic between the two of them, completing each other (:
but it's not like they are the only ones. poor Ao had to deal with the fact her brother is involved in who-knows-really how in that matter. I was upset they only showed her smiling and a bit better. I guess she is still mixed and confused, I wanted to see more about that – her inner feelings.
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in the matter of fanservice. I have to agree.
the fanservice here is quite funny and fun, unlike a lot other series who use it most time without the proper control.
I mean..even when there is a slight exaggeration, it's still so nice and fun to watch. I guess the characters' naivete make that happen. correction, not only that, it's everything. the characters, the atmosphere, the animation..it all makes the fanservice not that focused, yet when it slips to the screen it's quite funny and lovely.
it's simply presented well, under the right situations and circumstances, and it's balanced. something that series today are struggling with.
Flower
November 28, 2013 at 6:34 amI visited a bakery when I visited Nagoya a few years back, and actually I thought their bread was delicious.
Do you actually drop by the local bakery Enzo? ^^
admin
November 28, 2013 at 7:06 amI do. I love both types of pan.
In all seriousness, most Westerners would be surprised by how many and how good the bakeries in Japan are.
thedarktower
November 28, 2013 at 9:54 amwell of course.
Sanae Furukawa's bread is the best (;
admin
November 28, 2013 at 1:33 pmOnly if slathered in Akiko's jam.
Gary Cochran
November 28, 2013 at 2:16 pmI wanna try Melon bread some day. If Shana loves it then it can't be too bad.
admin
November 28, 2013 at 10:57 pmNo, it's awful – trust me.
sonicsenryaku
November 28, 2013 at 8:20 pmHahahaha….only if slathered in Akiko's Jam???? You sir are one crazy mofo