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09-03-2020, 06:57 PM | #71 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,428
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I just wanna give a quick congrats to Die for recently finishing his watch of Kamen Rider Blade. It ended up being a fun thread overall, so if you've seen Blade or wanna watch alongside his posts, by all means, I recommend that you do! I know I certainly had a good time there.
As for me, I was originally going to watch Ultraman Nexus next, but the official subs don't drop onto TokuShoutsu until November. Then, I decided I should watch Kamen Rider Super-1, but I'm told the subs are terrible and I should wait until Bereke Scrubs finishes their version, so I am. As such, I believe it's time to start my next Toku anime. That anime being... Garo: The Animation And this is actually a show that I've never seen before. I knew of its existence, thanks to a friend of mine who used the show as his intro into the Garo franchise, but I never got around to it. Back when the show aired, there was a bunch of other stuff keeping me busy in terms of media, and as such, Garo kept getting pushed further and further down on my list. Thus, this time around I'm kinda relying on anyone else who's seen the show to fill me in on trivia and such, since I'm basically just going to be reacting to each episode as I see it. Yet again I'll be watching the dubbed version, this one being done by FUNimation. That said, like I've stated before and even added to the opening post, if at any point in the future anyone has anything to say about Kikaider, then by all means, say it! I'm always down to talk about one of my favorite anime ever. Heck, Magnugiga is currently making his way through the show right now! Right on, dude! With all that said, here we go... Episode I: Hellfire Oh, sorry, I seem to have clicked on the Netflix Castlevania Anime by mistake, one sec. ... No, no, this is the right show. But man if they don't open similar. They even have a rather similar atmosphere about them too, but hey, I like the Castlevania Anime, so I'm down. One thing I'll point out right away too is that I'm not exactly sure how I feel about the Makai Knights being rendered in all CG against a world that seems fully drawn? Like, I think I get why they did it but I dunno, maybe it's just the 90s anime fan in me, but I think it'd've been alot better and looked way cooler had they been drawn instead. That aside, if the opening being an active Witch-burning hadn't been enough, this show makes it clear pretty fast that it's not afraid to go certain places. Yeah, I won't lie that I winced more than once during the sequence where a bunch of Witches and Warlocks get brutally murdered. I'll also give major props that, atleast in terms of this first episode, they knew how to keep the mood going. Even during the one comedic segment halfway through the episode(which I did laugh at), it's simply to lighten things up a small bit in order to get the viewer ready for its action climax, all the while not totally dropping its darker atmosphere. Not Kikaider levels of moody and dark mind you, but dark. Speaking of action, the climax itself was really cool. You could tell everything that was going on, and the animation itself worked out pretty well. I especially liked the Transformation Sequence for Leon, which reminded me alot of the Morphing Sequence for Solaris Knight from Power Rangers Mystic Force, to be honest. Also is it me or does Alfonso look like Guy from Tales of the Abyss? But yeah, overall, good first episode. I dug it.
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Last edited by DreamSword; 09-03-2020 at 09:20 PM.. |
09-04-2020, 12:09 PM | #72 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,428
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Episode II: Divine Flame Real quick before I get into the episode itself, I just wanna make a note here, since I forgot to bring it up in my post about Episode I. I really dig the OP. not just the song, but the animation style they went with for it. I'm a sucker for artsy opening animations like this one. The 3rd OP from Blood+ being a prime example. So glad they went this direction with the Garo anime. Onto the episode itself, there's really not much to talk about in terms of its plot; It's very straight-forward and simple. And that's not a bad thing. It's about a Horror who's disguised as a Priest that likes to torture women to death and how the Knights need to take him down. That's about it. Again, not a bad thing though, because this episode seems alot more focused on establishing the character arcs for, well, our characters. Just like how the first episode is meant to set up everything in terms of the setting and plot backdrop. Which reminds me, I gotta ask, are we sure this show is based off of a Toku show called Garo and not an abandoned script for a JRPG? Because no joke, so far this show really feels like someone wanted to make a JRPG, but then couldn't so he just kinda added Garo stuff to it and called it an anime, haha. Again, not a bad thing, because I'm digging it so far! So, with that out of the way, let's spend the rest of this post talking about the characters as they've been presented so far, shall we? Starting with our main character, Leon: I like how despite this show taking place in like the 1600s or whatever, Leon looks like a modern Scene Kid, haha. He also has psychotic triggers, brought about by memories of his mother being burned at the stake. How he can remember something that happened as he was just being born is beyond me. Magic, I guess. He's focused on fulfilling his family honor, and getting revenge for his mother's' death. Serious, determined, yet still very much a Makai Knight in training. I also rather like the dynamic he has with his "father." Because while his dad's' antics are definitely entertaining to watch from a viewer standpoint, they would certainly be annoying to deal with on a constant basis in real life, like how Leon has to, making his annoyance towards his dad understandable, without being overblown. Speaking of his dad, considering his arc seems to be about finding an heir, I'm calling it here and now, Alfonso is going to become the next Silver Knight. Either via reveal that he's literally Herman's' son, or via some magic stuff with the pendant, natch. On that note, I do dig how the Makai Armor seems to be a magical bloodline thing, and having the characters talk about and look at murals/artifacts related to the Makai really does help to sell the Armor as being something that has been around and will be around for all time, as long as the bloodline keeps going. I like the generational aspect in that. The last character I wanna talk about right now is the one we're introduced to in this episode, Emma: This lady absolutely oozes coolness, making me like her instantly. They paid special attention in making her job as alchemist more than just a mere title too. I like that at various points you can actually see her setting up her various alchemy traps despite being chair-bound, like when she's carving the circle into the floor with her heel. Good attention to detail. But yeah, props to her actress for making her personality really shine. Aaand that's about all I can think to talk about. It's an interesting set-up episode, and I'm curious to see how everything will pay off in the end. Thinking about it, this show seems like a Rated-T version of Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog, which is a 90s Toku show I really like, and also a show I really wish would get released on DVD at some point. But yeah, good set up, liking the show so far. Yeah.
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Last edited by DreamSword; 03-04-2021 at 01:47 PM.. |
09-05-2020, 08:26 PM | #73 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,428
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Episode III: Zaruba Oh hey, a new Knight joins the cast? Purple is my second favorite color, so that's cool. Although you'd figure if there were a third Makai Knight they'd be Bronze, given the other two. In this episode, Herman gets a magic letter from an old alchemist friend of his, which says that he's almost finished repairing an artifact known as the "Mado Ring" which should help Leon with his psychotic triggers and keep his soul from getting swallowed by flames. I had to think for a sec about why the letters could only be read if you burnt them with a magic lamp, but I suppose it does make sense if you want your letter to be untraceable, ontop of making sure only specific people can even read it in the first place. The letter also catches the attention of Emma, since she's also a skilled alchemist. And despite it seeming like the show is somewhat trying to portray Leon's' attitude as a problem, I again kinda have to side with the guy here. He's not only got good reasons for the way that he is, but yet again, dealing with the demeaning behaviors of both Herman and Emma would get on almost anyone's' nerves to a point. I feel for the dude. Anyway, it's explained that within the Mado Ring lies a demon named Zaruba. whom Leon has to make a pact with if he wants instant mastery over his Gold Armor, and it's all but outright stated that this is just kind of a normal thing for Makai Knights to do. Unfortunately, Zaruba seems to have other plans, considering he's been tempting the Alchemist's' Apprentice(of whom I instantly forgot the name of, rip): The plot of the episode from here on is pretty predictable, almost in a disappointing to be frank. I was actually hoping that Apprentice Boy was actually going to use the Ring to become the Purple Knight we see in the intro, and that the rest of Leon's' arc would deal with him needing to find a way to deal with his issues in his own way. Buuutt it seems like that's not the type of show Garo is, and instead, Apprentice Boy becomes a Horror, and Leon in the end does make a pact with Zaruba. I question the merit in making a pact with a demon of which has literally no problem with making Horrors for the heck of it, but I suppose to be fair, Leon didn't actually know that Zaruba did anything. ON THE OTHER HAND, you know who did know? Herman, and yet he does nothing to stop the pact from happening. Necessary Evil, maybe? Still, it doesn't quite sit right with me. In the end, it's Alfonso who ends up meeting the Purple Knight, and man, I hope we get an episode totally focusing on Alfonso soon. I'm really interested in his story, actually, but so far it's been mostly an afterthought. Well, it is still early on in the show, so maybe that'll turn around, who knows. I can't really think of much else to add than that, so uh, if there's anything that stood out to you about this episode that I missed, be sure to lemme know!
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09-05-2020, 08:46 PM | #74 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,589
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Oh hey, someone is watching Garo's first anime, very nice. While I don't really think I can articulate anything meaningful and bring anything too new to the table, I'll pop in and comment every now and again.
So yeah, I don't think whatever was tempting the Apprentice Knight was actually Zaruba, just a Horror that managed to catch the attention of the Knight's inner darkness. Zaruba's a chill dude, even if he can be a bit sassy from time to time. Also yes, reddish-violet Knight, I say that because in some scenes he feels more red than purple. At least I feel like red is a more predominant color sometimes, granted I could be partially color-blind but I feel like red is definitely in there. I will admit that the story is fairly serviceable in the first half, but it's the end of the first half and whole of the second half where I think the story really shines. So I can't wait to see your thoughts as you continue to go further. |
09-06-2020, 03:39 PM | #75 |
fencer of gold
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 231
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Glad to finally see someone talk about the garo anime considering how I never see anyone talk about them (even when they were still airing there were hardly and discussions)
And to top it all off you're talking about the best one of the 3 garo anime! Seal of flames is still to this day one of my top 3 garo series and I'm happy to hear you're finally getting around to watching it though if I were you I would temper my expectations for guren no tsuki though, and vanishing line is just a really fun series to watch
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09-06-2020, 06:27 PM | #76 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,428
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Quote:
Oh hey, someone is watching Garo's first anime, very nice. While I don't really think I can articulate anything meaningful and bring anything too new to the table, I'll pop in and comment every now and again.
So yeah, I don't think whatever was tempting the Apprentice Knight was actually Zaruba, just a Horror that managed to catch the attention of the Knight's inner darkness. Zaruba's a chill dude, even if he can be a bit sassy from time to time. Also yes, reddish-violet Knight, I say that because in some scenes he feels more red than purple. At least I feel like red is a more predominant color sometimes, granted I could be partially color-blind but I feel like red is definitely in there. I will admit that the story is fairly serviceable in the first half, but it's the end of the first half and whole of the second half where I think the story really shines. So I can't wait to see your thoughts as you continue to go further. While I can totally believe it wasn't Zaruba and just some random Horror that was tempting the Apprentice, Herman's' dialogue to said Appentice heavily suggested it was Zaruba. Maybe it was a mistake in the dub script? The tempting voice was coming from a lantern and not the ring, afterall. And yeah, the new Knight definitely has a somewhat reddish hue to him. So uh, I guess we should be calling him the Magenta Knight, then. I'm liking the show so far, so I'm excited to see what it has to offer! Quote:
Glad to finally see someone talk about the garo anime considering how I never see anyone talk about them (even when they were still airing there were hardly and discussions)
And to top it all off you're talking about the best one of the 3 garo anime! Seal of flames is still to this day one of my top 3 garo series and I'm happy to hear you're finally getting around to watching it though if I were you I would temper my expectations for guren no tsuki though, and vanishing line is just a really fun series to watch
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09-06-2020, 08:52 PM | #77 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,428
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Episode IV: Bloodville I... I ended up really liking this episode, actually. Starting things off, we have a decent little switch around where Alfonso's' bit is at the start of the episode, rather than the end. That's cool. And it's a good thing they decided on that too, because putting it at the end like normal would've taken away a bit from the prime meat that is the rest of this episode. It's great. The premise is that Herman has heard rumors of a curse befalling a forgotten village, so he puts his and Leon's' main quest on hold in order to investigate. As one can expect, forgotten villages are often forgotten for a reason, and it becomes really clear really quickly that the Knights were right to investigate. All of the character interactions are top notch in this episode. From Leon's' very understandable reactions to everything happening during the episode, to Herman toning his usual antics down a bit once it's clear they have a job to do, and of course, the characterizations of the little boy, Alloise, and his mother, of whom the villagers accuse of being a witch. Not to mention the appropriately spooky atmosphere and air of mystery this episode brings. While the answer to said mystery is pretty obvious, the real joy came from having the characters breaking down their thought process, doing investigative work, and the development of Leon that came therein. While I personally would've preferred the "curse" be due to an outside force, I won't complain about a Horror being the culprit in a Toku show; It just kinda comes with the territory. Probably the main takeaway of the episode, and the aspect of it I liked the most, was Leon having to face down against someone who bore one of the same personal demons he does; Wanting revenge for the loss of a parent, and feeling of anger and sadness that come with it. You can tell that Leon himself isn't entirely sure what to say to Alloise when it comes down to it, and that the events of the night are making him seriously second guess himself. I also really loved what Herman had to say at the end of it all: "The more you learn of the darkness of man, the harder they become to protect." Very true words, and ones that emphasize the need to see the good in others, ontop of doing your best not to let grudges or feelings of vengeance consume you, something many people(myself included) need to be reminded of all too often. Considering my experience with many Toku that often have their bad guys being some outside force, it's rather refreshing to see one that emphasizes that people are capable of just as much evil, if not moreso. Which is another aspect I really loved about Kikaider. This episode was great. Top notch.
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Last edited by DreamSword; 09-06-2020 at 09:07 PM.. |
09-07-2020, 09:36 PM | #78 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,428
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Episode V: Gaia For today's' episode, I have special guest writer with me, my good buddy Joe! Say hi Joe! Joe: "Hi Joe." GOOD JOB! So what'd you think of the episode? Joe: "I feel like I missed alot of context. But the Armor and fights were cool. And the heck is Flynn Scifo doing here?" I dunno! What I do know is that this is an episode I was really looking forward to. One almost totally centered on the story of Alfonso and the new Magenta Knight, Raphael! This episode also does alot of world building, and elaborates on what exactly Alfonso's' connection to the Makai Knights is. Meanwhile Zaruba is being eating Leon, so he's totally out for most of the episode. No problem here! Joe: "So who's the main character then?" They both are. Leon's just gotten alot more attention so far, so it's really nice that Alfonso finally gets his time to shine. Joe: "Raphael is way cooler though. Like, he's got that sword, bro" Yeah that's true. Overall though I dug this episode. I like that Alfonso's' plot is starting to gain more traction, as well as seeing him deal with that fact that at the end of the day, he is a normal ass human. A really skilled one sure, but still nothing on the level of being able to take down Horrors. Joe: "The Ceiling Soldier was really funny too." That he was! But yeah, not to much else to say about this one other than I'm glad Alfonso is finally getting some proper spotlight. And some more world building is rather nice too.
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09-09-2020, 12:18 AM | #79 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,428
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Episode VI: Black Knight This episode gets personal, but not for our heroes. This one is all about how a blacksmith's' son enlisted to become a knight, but ended up dying in a Trial by Combat, and how that's affected the family since. The episode did a great job at developing the family; From Julio's' upbringing as a street rat, to how the Father has changed due to the influence of the Horror, I actually got really interesting in seeing how it'd all play out. The character humor was on point in this one too! The scene with Leon being tempted by two hookers was a highlight, and it featured the return of Emma! The bickering between Leon and Herman was nice too, especially the beginning bit: "Good luck with that, I'm the one with the money." I loved it. On the action side of things, it was nice seeing Herman finally throw down, and I do like that they showed he had a personal stake in this particular instance, ontop of how cleanly he dealt with things, thus hammering in that he's got over 17 years of experience doing this sort of thing. His talk about how people are frail at the end was a nice touch too. Overall, the only real downside to this episode was that, despite being in the "last time on" segment, Alfonso was nowhere to be seen. I guess he really is the B-plot in this show, but it's a shame. Would love it if both Leon and Alfonso got to share screentime as co-leads. I love it when shows do stuff like that. But hey, maybe he'll get another focus episode soon. But yeah, another good episode, and I'm glad I'm digging this show more and more as it goes on. It's a good sign.
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09-09-2020, 06:45 AM | #80 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,589
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Ah no need to worry about Alfonso, he will get his chance to shine, oh he will get his chance to shine indeed. For now though, slow buildup via B-Plot.
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