[Kurona]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

It's simultaneously depressing and adorable that you trying to explain what didn't work about Zero-One's competition arc inevitably devolved into complaining about the show's treatment of Valkyrie. I'm honestly still trying to process that she apparently really was just working for ZAIA that whole time with no deeper motivation.

Well, hey, it's not as if they're completely disconnected -- the beginning and vast majority of her time under ZAIA was during this tournament arc, and said tournament arc going on for this long did just make it worse. If, as said, it was just five episodes; it'd maybe be a bit easier to take her actions later on. Maybe. But the more time goes on, the more chances she passes up on, the more terrible things she does in service of ZAIA, the harder it became to sympathise with and root for her. If the episodes were cut down I still don't think it would have been particularly good character building or storytelling at all, the problem's a little more deep-rooted than that; but with this much time of her in this position it just exacerbates the whole thing. Again, this was over multiple months of her doing terrible things for ZAIA before we even got any explanation. There's a reason I singled out Yaiba here, and you're damn right it's depressing.




On a more positive note, yeah, completely agree on both counts of this being something that could be spread to more series; and that I always like to think there's a purpose behind something! Zero-One's tournament arc was just very recent so it's extremely fresh in my mind, but... hm. Maybe come back later and I'll have some choice words for Build's last third.