[Enchilada645]

Oh yeah so King's seiyu is the voice of Frieza in Japan.

And while not the Frieza for the dub, it is a Frieza, one of the newer one's to the role I believe.

Thought that was a funny coincidence.

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

Thought that was a funny coincidence.

It is. King's' design being that of a skinny pale alien makes for a fun coincidence too.

[DreamSword]

Episode 23: My Sister

This episode almost worked, but ended up crashing hard by the end.

And through this episode it's become clear to me that the writers of this show really didn't know how to write an emotional climax.

First off, there's way too much going on in this episode for its own good. We're constantly cutting between the exploits of the four different groups, and as such none of them outside of Sophie and Lizzy receive nearly enough focus.

Second, the framing of the episode overall is incredibly weird. The way it flows feels like it's the final episode, only to take it all back by the final minute. And speaking of that final minute, the thing is weirdly framed as if it's supposed to be comedic even though it very much isn't.

And last, none of these arcs get wrapped up in any sort of satisfying way. With Sophie it's more of the same with Bishop barely even doing anything, with Gina it's that her and Queen never really had much of a connection to begin with, with Luke, infuriatingly, he's not the one who gets to finish off Knight, and lastly, and the one that annoyed me most, during Sword's' bits it's revealed that not only are all of the anime in the same continuity, but that King killed off the previous casts off screen.

If you're about to quote Dan Slott and say that an enraged fan is an engaged fan, well then sorry to disappoint but when things like this annoy me, I don't hyper focus and go bitch at the author on social media, I emotionally check out completely. I cease caring about the narrative at that point. It'd be like if in Power Rangers they revealed that all of the Sentai-exclusive teams were killed off screen. Why should I at all care at that point?

About the only cool thing in this episode was the stylistic black and white action scene with Sword and Zaruba. A shame that this show didn't have the budget for a miracle hour super mode though, with Sword just getting a new weapon instead. Otherwise, this entire endgame has just been one big fumble after another.

Next episode is the last one. Let's see if it can somehow turn things around.

[Enchilada645]

I'll be completely honest... I never really viewed King's speech as like, killing them? Maybe it was a dub thing? Cause going back and watching the dub and sub on certain parts uh... the dub I've noticed takes way more liberties than I expected.

But anyway the way King talks is like "I've tried countless times to snuff you all out and really you all just keep coming back" and it's very much supposed to be taken as more metaphorical than literal? Like he's not literally killing the people he's showing, it's just showing that the shows are connected throughout the eras and showing the wider scope of it all as King laments how he can't seem to get rid of the Makai Order.

So yeah, I'll be real when I say I really think you just took it the complete wrong way somehow.

As for Luke... well I'll be honest. I'm fine with him not getting the deciding blow on Knight. Like, I feel like that would've gone completely against what he's being built up as? The dude's whole thing really has been needing to let go of pointless revenge, find out what he needs to protect, and gain the strength to protect all throughout the series. Him killing Knight, while potentially satisfying, wouldn't really work with how he went.

I honestly thought it was cool and a bit sad how, he's on his last legs but you can tell he's satisfied. He's not angry, he's not in despair, he knows what it means to protect, to be a knight now, and he almost pity's the fact that Knight can't understand that. Even Knight doesn't really properly get a retort in, he just vanishes on Luke. He doesn't even try to kill Luke in response either, and in a way, Luke wins in that moment.

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

I'll be completely honest... I never really viewed King's speech as like, killing them? Maybe it was a dub thing? Cause going back and watching the dub and sub on certain parts uh... the dub I've noticed takes way more liberties than I expected.

Given what company dubbed this, that doesn't surprise me.

Quote:

But anyway the way King talks is like "I've tried countless times to snuff you all out and really you all just keep coming back" and it's very much supposed to be taken as more metaphorical than literal? Like he's not literally killing the people he's showing, it's just showing that the shows are connected throughout the eras and showing the wider scope of it all as King laments how he can't seem to get rid of the Makai Order.

So yeah, I'll be real when I say I really think you just took it the complete wrong way somehow.

Here's how the dub translates his speech:

"So predictable. Mankind never changes. Struggling, rejecting annihilation, no matter the era. Again and again I crush you under foot, yet you scuttle back with the tenacity of roaches."

All while we're shown images of Crimson Moon and Carved Seal of Flames. It really is the "crush you under foot" part that makes me think the implication is that he fought the previous Garo and won.

The only other way I can think to take it is that King is somehow the one behind the plots of the previous two anime? Which is its own sort of asspull. Not even like arc welding would be all that hard either, given that the previous two plots very heavily featured the moon in them.

Quote:

As for Luke... well I'll be honest. I'm fine with him not getting the deciding blow on Knight. Like, I feel like that would've gone completely against what he's being built up as? The dude's whole thing really has been needing to let go of pointless revenge, find out what he needs to protect, and gain the strength to protect all throughout the series. Him killing Knight, while potentially satisfying, wouldn't really work with how he went.

I honestly thought it was cool and a bit sad how, he's on his last legs but you can tell he's satisfied. He's not angry, he's not in despair, he knows what it means to protect, to be a knight now, and he almost pity's the fact that Knight can't understand that. Even Knight doesn't really properly get a retort in, he just vanishes on Luke. He doesn't even try to kill Luke in response either, and in a way, Luke wins in that moment.

That's all well and good, but on the other hand, Luke and Knight are the most tied together in terms of both backstory and character arc. Knight is Luke's' father. Knight is the one who killed Luke's' mother. And Knight is the one who was training Luke to be the Silver Knight before things went to Hell.

Even if this didn't end with Luke killing Knight off, having Luke not only lose the fight with Knight barely having a scratch on him, but making it so that the final battle is instead Knight vs Sword, two characters who barely have anything to do with one another, it makes it feel like the entire arc had no end goal in mind and makes the entire event ring hollow.

There is nowhere near the emotional investment that Sword vs Knight has compared to Luke vs Knight, and I would've respected the story way more had Luke and Knight been the final battle instead, or at the very least have Luke be able to do enough to both physically and morally win rather than the equivalent of him preaching while getting stabbed repeatedly.

[DreamSword]

Episode 24: Future

That's Luke as the new Silver Knight, and it would've been so great had there been an episode dedicated to him coming into his own as one.

I'll be upfront. I did not like this ending.

I think the best way to sum it all up is that alot of it very much feels like set up for a movie that just didn't ever happen. Sophie wanting to be an Alchemist, Luke becoming a Knight, the underused Makai Stone, Bishop still being alive...

There's so many things left unresolved or undercooked in terms of story that nothing in this ends up feeling satisfying, and that's saying nothing about how half the episode is wasted on a subplot of Sophie's' memories getting erased only to come back anyway.

Really, the entire endgame of Vanishing Line to me felt as though it needed either more focus, inwhich certain filler episodes(like the motel one) should've been cut in exchange, or that it needed to be cut down more(removing alot of the dumb stuff with Martin would've helped). Instead we get this very weirdly paced stretch of episodes that's less than the sum of its parts.

It overall leaves me with some very mixed feelings concerning the show as a whole, and I think it'll be good for me to give it a day or two of resting in the back of my head before I call final judgment on it as a whole. Certainly it has alot of good stuff going for it, but unfortunately it ended with alot of things that were much not my taste either. One thing I do know for sure though is that I personally feel it's the weakest of the GARO anime.

Really wish they'd gone for something bombastic in the end, but I guess all the budget was spent on the first Knight episode and the Mad Max-esque one. Such a shame.

Final thoughts on the show as a whole come either tomorrow or the day after depending on how busy I am.

[DreamSword]

FINAL THOUGHTS ON GARO: VANISHING LINE

The final arc and ending of a story can have a big effect on one's' feelings about it overall.

On one hand, some will say that it's the journey that matters and not the destination, and on the other, some argue that if the ending isn't satisfactory, then what's even the point?

Me? I really can't say either mindset is exactly wrong.

In my experience, I've ended up on both sides depending on the story involved. For example, the final act of Kamen Rider Faiz really messed with my headspace concerning that show. It was a story that I was thoroughly enjoying up until that point, and it's what always sticks in my mind whenever I think about the story as a whole.

Meanwhile, with, say, Hug! Pretty Cure! that is show that, while I feel the ending is rather rough, doesn't ruin all the great times I had watching it, and I still put it as one of my favorite magical girl shows to date. The journey was so good that a lackluster ending didn't do much to hamper my looking back on it.

I think the main factor on if a final bit of a show super dampens the experience for me or not is the length, and with that in mind, perhaps you'll see where I'm coming from when I say that, at the end of the day, I find Garo: Vanishing Line to be... decent. Not great, not horrible. Just an overall alright experience. But rather than just leave it there, I'm gonna bring back the final thoughts format I used for the previous two GARO anime. Here we go.

THE BAD

The endgame and the pacing.

Those final six episodes are a serious slog to get through. Not even just in terms of pacing, but in handling an ending off the arcs of every character involved.

I think the biggest factor that killed it all for me was how the show very much tried to have its cake and eat it too without actually going all in on any of the concepts that is brought to the table.

One minute Martin is an evil overlord, the next minute he's a pure soul who's misunderstood... there's alot of back and forth, and not even solely concerning Martin either. Sophie, like it or not, IS the main character of this entire show, and the final arc focuses on her so much that every other character is left behind.

They really bank on you being all in on her part in the plot, but unfortunately for the writers, as the show continued to go on, I began liking Sophie less and less and started liking Gina, Sword, and especially Luke way, way more. Sophie's' development lead to her becoming a self-centered brat, whereas everyone else took the exact opposite progression.

And also keep in mind that this is six episodes out of a 24 episode show. That's 25% of the run time, which is alot! Also not helping that is there's two episodes towards the middle that could've easily been cut: Episodes 12 and 15, which don't amount to anything at all in the grand scheme of things and aren't even particularly engaging to watch. I think it would've been alot better to have two more episodes in the anime's' beginning arc instead.

While I wouldn't say the beginning arc is bad, it's definitely a bit unexplored. The show does give just enough of it to be satisfactory for the big transition point, but I do think one or two more character focused episodes in Russell City would've done the overall pacing of the show some favors instead of an episode where nothing happens other than characters talking in a motel or a villain focused episode that doesn't tell us anything the audience doesn't already know at that point in the show's' run.

This anime's' endgame is a serious killer of its momentum, and while I wouldn't say it ruined the story as whole, definitely did make me knock it down a point.

THE GOOD

The middle chunk.

This was where the show really found its stride, with engaging character focused episodes and the two best action sequences in the entire show bar none.

While not perfect(again, episodes 12 and 15 could've easily been cut), I had a great time with that section of the show. The development that the Makai Trio go through felt very organic and were capped with very emotional moments.

Plus, it was a rather unique approach for the show to take compared to its previous two counterparts: Featuring the crew traveling to different locations each episode, meeting new people, and experiencing their stories alongside their own. Shout outs to episode 16!

It really is the sort of thing that only a Toku made into an anime could get away with, and I am so glad that the show went this route.

MY FAVORITE THINGS

Luke and episode 14.

While I do think that one more episode focused on him in the early days and especially a better ending to his story would've helped alot, Luke overall was a character that I came out really liking, and is easily my favorite in this cast.

Similar to Cruger in Power Rangers SPD, a big part of Luke's' story is about learning to not let the feelings of anger and vengeance ruin you as a person, and instead focus those feelings into motivation towards a better tomorrow for yourself and those around you. In other words, use them as a means to find better empathy towards others and their hardships, and work to lessen the impact of similar evils.

While almost every Luke focused episode is great, episode 14 is by far the biggest highlight, featuring not only great growth for him as a character, but also featuring pretty much everything that makes the GARO anime great: Mature themes, rich characterization, engaging atmosphere, solid comedic beats, and a stylish piece of action.

While not my favorite character in the entirety of the GARO anime(that's still Alfonso), he definitely became my favorite of the Makai Alchemists, and even if I did come out of this show not liking it, it would've been worth the watch if only for him.

OVERALL RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS

If you want my rating up front, I give Vanishing Line a 3/6. I do think that it's overall the weakest of the three anime. While you could argue logistics of the plots of each one, when it comes down to it, the biggest deciding factor for me is that, really, the character work in Crimson Moon and especially Carved Seal of Flames is just way more my taste.

Sure, there's a few other things that hold it back, such as the lower budget compared to the other anime or the obvious setting up for a movie that never happened, but at the end of it all, that's the deciding factor for me. For all their flaws, the other two anime were just so much better at making their characters emotionally engaging(for me atleast). Is VL a bad anime? No, but with such a great track record this subset of the franchise has had, it had some big shoes to fill and it unfortunately just kinda fell short.

I don't regret watching it, and hopefully as time goes on my brain will remain more focused on its positive aspects like it does the previous two shows.

Until next time, Golden Knight...

[DreamSword]

KiraKira Pretty Cure a la Mode

I finished my second dive into the Pretty Cure franchise!

This time with the season that directly proceeded my first exposure to the series in Hug: Commonly affectionately referred to as Furry PreCure.

And while I didn't like it as much as Hug, I still had a fun time with it for what it was as a more simplistic magical girl show that still manages to throw in some rather nice messages and themes throughout.

Using sweets as its primary vehicle, the show is all about the importance that hobbies and the sharing of them with others are in our lives. The love of baking is not only what brings our cast together, but is what allows them to explore various avenues of their own lives and grow as people.

What is particularly interesting about that in terms of the show's' plot is that the final few episodes of the show have the plot slowly transition into the themes that would be fully explored in the next PreCure season: Planning for your future and the importance of not giving into nihilistic despair. To the point that the final episode almost feels directly out of Hug.

And on both of those notes, my favorite character this season ended up being Yukari, or Cure Macaron. To me she was a much better take on the sort of character that was attempted with Tsukasa from Kamen Rider Decade. The majority of her arc is about how many people will only find value in others based on outward appearances and natural ability as shallow tasks, and how important it is to find love not only in yourself, but for yourself.

She's someone who's so naturally gifted at everything she does that she grows bored with life, and all the praise she gets showered with feels entirely fake. It's only when she attempts to bake macarons, noted to be a higher level sweet to bake, and fails at it that real passion begins to blossom within her, and her working with the other patisserie in the Pretty Cure that she not only finds love in the romantic sense, but looks inwardly at how she treats not only those around her, but also herself. "Beauty and excitement" are her core values, afterall.

And even if she didn't have a great character arc, she's just in general a really fun character to watch. Her primary attitude with almost any given situation is looking at it and going "Can I have fun with this?" and she almost always proceeds to in a way that messes with everyone that's really funny or cartoonishly petty to the point of hilarity. She's very much framed as the token evil teammate early on, but none of her actions are really heinous or mean spirited to the point of making her unlikeable. That she ends up in a romantic relationship with Akira is just icing on the macaron.

Outside of that, while not as physically involved as many other Pretty Cure shows, the fights in KiraKira are still rather fun to watch, with alot of the magic flung around being used in rather creative ways most of the time and rather nicely animated to boot. Chocolate thats molded into a sword, a giant macaron turned into a buzzsaw, ice cream turned into a storm of icicles, the list goes on. All while set to a rather well done musical score throughout the entire anime. Again, not as good as Hug in my opinion, but still done well overall in a way where I have no real complaints. Though sadly some of the best songs are soundtrack only.

Now, is it a perfect show? No. There's definitely fumbles here and there such as one character's' mother being treated like a saint despite her being totally neglectful of her daughter, the conclusions of certain arcs being rather unsatisfactory, and the ending being somewhat contentious. But, none of these made me think of the show any less and I still had an overall fun time watching it. As such, I give PreCure a la Mode a 4/6. Is it anything super deep or amazing? No, but it is an overall fun ride from start to finish with fun action and equally fun and endearing characters while still having some surprisingly solid looks into some slightly more mature aspects. And hey, if representation is your thing, this show has a cast full of lesbians, and one of the Cures is even autistic. Points for that.

It's a good time all the way through, and I do recommend checking it out.

[goseigold]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

The only other way I can think to take it is that King is somehow the one behind the plots of the previous two anime? Which is its own sort of asspull. Not even like arc welding would be all that hard either, given that the previous two plots very heavily featured the moon in them.

I personally always theorised that king might be whatever' left of Mendoza from seal of flames since he technically never did actually die and the end of that series

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by goseigold

I personally always theorised that king might be whatever' left of Mendoza from seal of flames since he technically never did actually die and the end of that series

I guess I could see that, though it does raise the question as to what the Crimson Moon cast is doing at the start of the flashback given that Mendoza had nothing to do with that. Unless he was meant to be possessed by the final Horror of that show or something.