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11-18-2021, 05:13 PM | #451 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
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Episode 7: Mother, Daughter This episode was all about Seimei. And yet the weird part is, despite how much backstory this episode provides for her, that was probably my least liked part about it? Don't get me wrong, I am glad that we're getting more development out of her and further elaboration on her past as the daughter of an aristocrat and a Makai Alchemist, but there was one other aspect that stood out so much more to me. That aspect being the overall atmosphere of the episode itself. I really got drawn in from the very start. From the talk about Xehanort's' lineage in the beginning, to the air of dread when it came time for Seimei to make her ultimate decision, this episode nailed the atmosphere when it counted most. But I'm getting ahead of myself. What is this episode even about? Well, another ancient and sealed Horror is slowly beginning to be unleashed, just like last episode. However, what makes this one special is not so much its immense strength, but rather its direct connection to Seimei, and more specifically, her parents. To the point that Seimei decides to face this Horror alone. Speaking of Horrors I always dig the monster designs in this franchise. I also feel that this episode actually showcases the point that the previous episode was trying to make alot better(strength in giving up one's' life) via the flashback of how exactly Seimei's' parents met their end, and the seal on the Horror was placed. It's the sort of thing many a proper parent could relate to give sympathy for, I think. The type of bond and love that many other stories have done well too(NiER, for example). Also, I'll admit, I didn't expect the climax to go the way it did. Converting a Horror into a Mado Tool was something that was never done in Carved Seal of Flames, so to see it done here in Crimson Moon was quite the surprise. Granted, given Zaruba's' backstory in the first anime, I suppose it was always an option, but still, I really did just expect Seimei to kill the Horror and be done with it. Also, that great sword for Garo came right out of nowhere, but hey, it's cool, so I'll let it slide. And overall it makes me interested to see where this new development will go. All in all, a pretty good episode. Certainly much better than episode 7 of The Animation if nothing else.
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11-19-2021, 10:28 PM | #452 |
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Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,415
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Episode 8: Brothers This episode was all exposition and backstory, and I am okay with that. The majority of the episode's' plot deals with Raiko's' backstory as an outcast to one of the royal families, and what being a Makai Knight means to him. There was some rather interesting stuff going on here. From the lord of the Light Palace wanting to use the Golden Knight as a weapon of war, to the reveal of Kintoki actually being way older than he looks. One plot point they dropped that I kinda don't get though is the claim that Seimei's' seal isn't just on Raiko's' armor, but his memories as well. It's an odd claim considering that even before this episode it was clear he remembered his past just fine. Was there something I missed? Outside of that, I really can't think of anything else to say about the episode itself other than that I liked it, so real quick, let's talk about something I keep neglecting to talk about in these write-ups; The OP. Compared to the first OP of the previous anime, this one is alot less interesting in terms of visuals. But one aspect that gives this OP a leg up is them getting a different singer for every episode, and I love it when shows do things like that. So to me, The Animation's' wins in terms of visuals, but in terms of music, Crimson Moon takes it. ...Wait a minute, Rakshasa!? Man, if only.
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11-20-2021, 03:53 PM | #453 |
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Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,415
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Episode 9: Shine and Ruin I really dug this episode too! Starting right off, we get a bit more of Seimei's' backstory, and I did like the reveal of how the original Douma is actually a neutral party. However, the real meat of this came from a great idea for a scenario, and how our main characters played off of one another in the face of said scenario. It overall made for a great episode about actions having consequences. So what is it? After Seimei causes the group to go broke when buying another of her trinkets, Raiko has no choice but to ask the Watchdog Center for work. The mission given is the take down a Horror which has the ability to consume all light, including that of the soul. And already there's an interesting hook there, in that this is a Horror that not only is a direct counter to the Golden Armor, but even when it loses, it still technically wins, as its curse remains placed upon Garo and Zaruba. This results not only in some strong character drama, but also some pretty funny comedic moments as well. Not gonna lie, I got some real enjoyment out of seeing a personality-flipped Raiko. Not only did it result in some great refuge in audacity, but seeing how Kintoki and Seimei reacted to their dear friend suddenly being a shadow of his former self was really cool to watch. To the point that Setmei has no choice but to go to her old teacher for help, resulting in another great moment where she just straight tells Xehanort to buzz off. Loved it. There's also the very blatant creepy/sexual allegory between Seimei and the original Douma, which I think worked pretty well in getting across why exactly Seimei doesn't exactly keep in close touch with her old teacher anymore. But of course, this is all capped off by a really strong climax towards the episode's' end, where Raiko's' soul has all but been devoured by the darkness, ready to become one of the very beasts he had sworn to fight. Seimei does something that the personally she uses as a front up to now would likely never do. She realizes that this entire scenario is, indirectly or not, her fault. And as such she decides to seal Raiko's' curse within herself. Now, just as she had a seal on him, he has a seal on her. In the end, Raiko is saved, and our party rejoices, but just what long term effects this will have on Seimei has yet to be seen, making for a really good hook. I liked this episode alot. From its atmosphere, to its character development, to its plot, and to even its comedy, it had alot going for it. Dunno if I'd say it's my new favorite episode, since I still really like episode 5, but man, it's up there. Overall a great time.
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11-22-2021, 03:40 AM | #454 |
fencer of gold
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 231
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so i just rewatched the entire series as a refresher for this thread
unfortunatly the site I use is missing crimson moon' OVA & film.....
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11-22-2021, 08:16 PM | #455 |
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To be honest I have zero idea of where to find the finale movie either. But I'll worry about that when I get there in like a month.
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11-23-2021, 05:01 PM | #456 |
fencer of gold
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 231
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Both the OVA and film are worth watching- the former as a prequel to the series and the latter as a sequel
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11-23-2021, 08:27 PM | #457 |
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Episode 10: 1/10th This episode was weird, man. It's the kinda weird that I'm honestly not sure I can adequately explain in a sum up post? The sort of weird you get when Inoue is off his rocker writing Kamen Rider. Just... look, just read this summary: The highest ranking Buddhist monk in the land, Jiho, is turned into a Horror by Xehanort, which gives him the power to shrink anything to a 10th its size, which he uses on various Onmyou Mystics so that way he can eat them like chicken wings. When Raiko falls under the spell, he is only saved by befriending a native river turtle. Hijinx ensue, including a scene where Raiko gets a free pass to touch boobs. Meanwhile all of the typical Honey I Shrunk The Kids antics are interspliced with Rako's' half brother wondering if he's worthy of his status in life or not because everyone he knows and loves is slowly dying, all while more political intrigue with the Light Palace continues to build up in the background. And at the end the episode plays up the friendly turtle getting cooked alive for laughs. I just... what?? I mean, I liked it! I think? But I'm not even sure if what I just watched was real or not. Like, this whole experience was totally surreal to me, especially coming right off a few episodes were were pretty dramatic throughout. I'm not really sure what else I can say other than this is the sort of episode you kinda have to see in order to fully feel what I'm getting at here. It's be like trying to describe the total acid from the climax of the Divine Flame movie. It just ain't gonna work out. So uh... good episode? Yeah, let's go with that.
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Last edited by DreamSword; 11-23-2021 at 08:33 PM.. |
11-24-2021, 08:43 PM | #458 |
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Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,415
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Episode 11: Zanga God I love Toku. This episode took something as silly as a Horror using a rubber ball as a weapon and made a legit great episode out of it. The story this time around is all about Hakamadare, and as such this follows alot of the same beats that episode 5 did. And considering I absolutely loved episode 5, well, it's probably easy to guess how I felt about this one. Seriously, I just love this guy as a character. Not only has every bit of his backstory we've been given so far great, but all of the episodes focusing on him have had wonderful character drama attached. He's also voiced by am actor who's got great vocal range. I looked him up: He's Ricco Fajardo, and he apparently also voiced Leon in The Animation. And if that's true then like holy crap, because Leon and Hakamadare sound nothing at all alike! He hasn't voiced anything else of note that I can find(to me, anyway), but if these two roles are anything go by? He does a great job. Also, good foreshadowing to this one done in the previous episode too. I neglected to mention it in the previous post, but there was a small scene of Seimei actively wondering if there even were any other Makai Knights, with the Watchdog Center assuring her that there are. Though I see that rather than Zorro for our Silver Knight, we get Zanga here. In other Garo media, are there often multiple knights with the same color? Regardless, this episode had basically everything I liked about episode 5. Good character drama and a wonderful atmosphere. And it makes me rather excited to see where Hakamadare's' story will end up going forward. At the rate things are going, he might end up becoming my favorite character in the show. But yeah, all around this was a great time.
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Last edited by DreamSword; 11-25-2021 at 09:17 AM.. |
11-25-2021, 09:13 AM | #459 |
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Location: Michigan
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Episode 12: Conflict Probably the most fitting title an episode has had yet. This episode's' central theme is conflicts of interest, and how they can be a crushing emotional weight for everyone involved. There's alot of interplay here between the cast. Raiko trying to bring peace and unity by being the traditional hero, Hakamadare taking the route of the anti-hero as he finds it more practical, and Seimei trying to get Raiko to realize the value in his own life. What it leads to is three people who, while ultimately all wanting the same thing, are going about it in entirely different ways with no real room for compromise, and as such, conflict and discourse abound. I really dug how Raiko's' ideology was challenged this time around. It's nothing new for superhero stories(the classic "Act vs React" argument) but I felt it was pulled off rather well here and the entire thing felt very natural to the characters. And not just from Hakamadare either, but also from Seimei. Kamen Rider Agito also touched on this; the hero's' life being every bit as important as everyone else's'. It's also only for a brief bit, but the episode also brings up the age old argument on whether one should prioritize themselves or others first. While it's a debate over ideology that will never go away, it felt pretty pertinent, given the times we live in at the time of this writing, and both in real life and in this story, it's easy to see where both sides are coming from. The end result in all this is yet another classic superhero scenario(most known for with Spider-Man); The lives of many vs the life of one. Interesting twist here though in that rather than it being the hero having to choose between the life of the people or the life of a loved one, it is instead a "sidekick" having to choose between the life of the people or the life of the hero. That's a really cool twist on the concept and I dug it alot. And in the end, Seimei makes the difficult decision that Raiko's' life is the one more valuable, despite his protests. Overall, I liked this episode alot. Not one of my favorite ones, but it knew what it wanted to do and it overall did it well, making for a great mid-season hook. Given the abrupt nature of the ending and the hook with one of Mystics becoming a Horror, it'll be interesting to see how all this is followed up on, ontop of the already ongoing character drama that this show has been overall great at so far. Very excited!
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11-26-2021, 12:33 PM | #460 |
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Location: Michigan
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Episode 13: Seimei This was a very emotionally charged episode and I'm all for it! It's the direct aftermath of the previous episode, where not only is everything in the capital going to Hell, but so too are the relations between our main cast. And true to the title, despite multiple characters getting the chance to shine here, Seimei is the one who is, for the most part, front and center, with her arc possibly coming to its conclusion. The overall atmosphere of the episode is great, which really helps to enhance the emotionally weight behind the entire scenario. Heck, the scenario itself was really interesting to me, because despite this being an episode how the capital being under siege, there's very little action in it. True to most of the rest of the show so far, the action side of things takes a backseat for increased focus on character drama, and as I've said before, I'm totally here for it, though I can see how it might annoy viewers who were more expecting a balance akin to that of the previous anime. I'm a sucker for well done dialogue scene, what can I say? As well, the episode in all ways does a good job at being the conclusion to what was built up in the last couple of episodes. It brings the idea of Seimei and Raiko's' lives being linked(both literally and metaphorically) to the fold, discusses how Seimei choosing to save Raiko was not only her own personal choice, but the practical one in the long run, and Raiko realizing that his life is every bit as precious as anyone else's', and that's it's foolish to just throw it away. This all culminates in Seimei literally facing her inner demons, and Raiko managing to break the seal on Garo via his own inner strength, resulting a new look for the golden armor that gives it more of a samurai motif. Not to mention the ultimate payoff of Seimei pinning Xehanort to the ground and just pummeling the hell out him. That was awesome. Though the ending also suggests that Seimei might be out of the show now? I certainly hope not, as I rather liked her character and her dynamic with Kintoki and Raiko was a big highlight. All in all, this was a great episode that could've easily served as a finale to the show. If nothing else it made for a great season finale, even though we're technically slightly past the halfway point. There's still a few minor loose ends, but for the most part the major character stuff seems to be wrapped up, so I'm rather interested in where exactly the show is gonna go from here.
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