Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Plastic Memories
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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I can't agree with this at all. Yeah, they eventually work their way around to showing that her deterioration is a real problem. For the most part though that really isn't the case. The vast majority of the time it's all still framed as pretty typical comedy hijinks and moe girl cutesy clumsiness. It's not even really set up to be a "Oh, you thought this was funny? Well..." subversion. It just feels like they're trying to have their cake and eat it too. Which in turn really just makes the later attempts to get serious feel all the more hollow and contrived to me. |
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Nyaomix
 Posts: 127 |
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The tie in to another show I`m getting is Harold and Maude, though in this case Maude is a cute Young girl. Young kid with no clear goal in life meets someone near the end of life who teaches him how precious life is.
The first episode was strong for me, but I was actually on the fence with how intense they chose to go from the beginning. I feel the second episode, while not as strong on it`s own, is why I won`t drop the show. As far as the klutziness being played off as a joke I don`t see how someone can get there. Everyone at the office has a constant concern for Isla. I think Hameyadea is spot on in seeing the failed humor as more an expression of old age. With the new add in Yasutaka`s views it seems that the main point of this show will be that those who are less capable in some ways can still be useful. The goal in this series will be to prove to evereyone else that the hard work Isla is putting in at the end is meaningful. The rest of the office is pretty standard fare, but that`s probably more because the highlight is what Mizugaki will bring to their work. Hopefully Kinushima will tone down the tsundere, I rarely see that role as a welcome one in an anime. As far as the hunter and spotter terms, I think kinushima made the reason for them clear. Only their specific branch works together with the giftias. Other branches most likely have the giftia doing all the talking while the human sits back and judges their effectiveness as a tool. And, a meat packing plants` workers will still call it a slaughterhouse, we are seeing the group through the workers not the clients. Those terms are probably not something clients are supposed to hear. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11340 |
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The term "spotter" can have the alternate meaning of someone there to back you up in case things go wrong, as in gymnastics or weightlifting, so your explanation makes sense for that. But it hasn't clarified anything about the origin of "marksman," no matter whose eyes we're looking through or who is privy to the term. It just makes me think that "retrieval" is a recent development and termination was a more violent affair early on, like when they didn't know the Giftias were going to break down, or how to know exactly when, until things went really bad. We still don't know what actually happens if the Giftias aren't retrieved in time. I suspect they don't just slump over and stare into space, or it wouldn't be such a big deal to retrieve them before that happens. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18179 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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I have speculated - and I think at least one or two others have alluded to this - that Giftias probably have a rapid Alzheimer's-like breakdown. And while it's not common, there are cases where Alzheimer's can result in uncharacteristic belligerence toward people the sufferer wouldn't normally think of harming. (A friend of mine had to go through that with his father recently.)
Also, it seems pretty clear that the breakdown is a mental one, not a physical one; otherwise there would have been no point in the old lady in episode 1 being offered what was essentially a personality transplant for Nina. |
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Hameyadea
 Posts: 3679 |
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Robeltharion
Posts: 9 |
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This is my season favorite, i hope it gets better whit time, and see what happens at the end.
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11340 |
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Symbolically, maybe. But glasses wouldn't help with that, since agnosia isn't because you can't see the objects clearly, but because your brain can no longer recognize what you're seeing.
I thought she was upset because he reminded her that not only doesn't she have much time or ability to form new memories, but she's starting to lose the ones she already has and will soon lose all of them. If she's mourning anyone, it's herself. |
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Melicans
Posts: 620 Location: Canada |
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Yeah, I thought that seemed quite clear myself. Through the first three episodes it seems that the theme of this show is about memory; how we deal with them when we are separated, what we do with them when the people we share them with are gone. Several times the characters have commented on how their job involves ripping memories apart, and it was demonstrated especially in the first episode that Isla has a great fear towards the end of her lifespan and what will happen to her memories when she is gone in a little under three months. So when Tsukasa brought up the topic of making memories with her... I think it's more than understandable that she freaked out a bit. |
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kotomikun
Posts: 1205 |
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"Plastic mammaries"...
The first two-thirds of this episode felt like a completely different show (and not in a good way). The rest of it was much better, more like the first two episodes, but I'm starting to wonder if this is really going anywhere interesting. The two leads are good, but most of the other characters are often mind-bendingly stereotypical ("not sure if tsundere or just overprotective" girl, layabout lecherous guy who somehow hasn't been fired for sexual harassment, etc.) and their influence ruined most of this episode. Maybe Tsukasa can get Isla to move into his apartment instead... |
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MysticMew
 Posts: 91 Location: Bremen, Germany |
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I honestly hope the first part of this episode was a singular misstep and not much more. So far I found the season full of anime with an overall average better quality compared to last season but without anything standing out as a "star player" (like Maria did for me last season). If anything, this was probably the one getting closest to the definition. This episode made quite a step back from that assessment and really felt like it degenerated in a lot of silly tropes that would have felt more at home in a harem setting than here. Some of it was admittingly funny, I did laugh at some of the ways Tsukasa managed to make himself look bad... but it really didn't belong in this setting. At all.
At least things got back on track in the final few minutes. Let's hope this was just a fluke. We have enough leisurely Slice-of-Life this season already. |
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residentgrigo
 Posts: 2418 Location: Germany |
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I prefer the second episode to the first as the inherent moral dilemma was presented in a more complex light but episode 3 was a write off for the first 2/3 as Gabriella stated.
The dating tips idea isn´t necessarily bad to quickly characterize the crew but crossdressing and random rape jokes are 100% wrong in this world. All the Tsundere antics need to go most of all as it makes even less sense for a 17 years old girl to devote all his energy into keeping a random boy she just met and an android who now has about 2 months to live apart. That said i found it fascinating how competently the show recovered during the "date" and reminded me that we are watching moe Blade Runner and not animu nonsense in the end. Maybe. The glasses were further a nice touch. More of this for the future and a dead Isla at the end will make me a happy Junker indeed but if this show pulls a Clanned then... The original Armitage III OVA (20 years old?) is a bit unpolished but i can recommend it as a companion piece to this. I don´t get where the discussion how the android exactly break down comes from btw. The show has "Memory" in the title, our own computers kill themselves over time and Isla is already a bit incoherent. Cyber-Alzheimer it is and this may turn into Amour (2012) in the end. |
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CoreSignal
 Posts: 727 Location: California, USA |
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Agree with the ep3 review. That joke about Tsukasa getting caught in an awkward moment went on far too long.
I think this is gonna be a big problem with this show. This half-heartwrenching tragedy and half-"lucky pervert" comedy isn't working out so far.
I'm glad I'm not the only person who noticed this. When that one character said "You gotta shove her down!, women always make excuses" I was not expecting to hear something like that. |
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JaggedAuthor
 Posts: 981 |
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I initially thought this show was too clever to feature "boy trips and falls on top of girl; humorous misunderstanding ensues" jokes, but it looks like I'll have to alter my expectations. If I never see this annoying trope again, it will be too soon.
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Nyaomix
Posts: 127 |
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First episode seemed good, but was possibly pandering, and had me on the fence. Second episode slowed it down, and while being a bit slow gave me more promise of a good logical series. Third episode? Hopefully the staff doesn`t have this in mind. I had to force myself to Watch the first half of this episode. They have yet to really succeed at comedy, and this episode was almost all about their bad versions of tropes. Yes, the date redeemed the episode a bit, but this really should not have happened at all. The running gag of suggestions made the whole office less likeable. Weak characters are now seen as meddling and some even disturbing.
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partially
Posts: 702 Location: Oz |
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The thing I simply can't get past is the ridiculous nature of the entire company the guy works for. Having to send out "retrieval people", getting a forced "signature" from the owners to retrieve. Sure it makes it all seem happy and whatnot mostly, but it is forcing the people. And the fact they just conveniently ignore what happens if they don't get a signature. Add that to the fact that if there is a known use-by date the initial contract would have retrieval as part of it, and they could just have the androids automatically shut down when their use-by is near due. What they instead have is needlessly complex and completely contrived.
I can only think that at some point a more insidious reason will be introduced as to why this all goes on. There has already been the mention of personal privacy, maybe the company is using retrieval for that. Stockpiling the dirty laundry of all the owners. At the same time I get the distinct impression this is just going to be a silly love story thing. With no insidiousness and just a stupid contrived nature of things to have everyone working together. Unfortunately Hayashi's first big outing as a creator is looking like a real dud. Looks like he should stick to scenario, did a good job with his scenario stuff. It is a real shame, given this is usually the type of show I like, and it does have a nice look. I will continue on with it though, so far it is certainly better than RD Sennou Chousashitsu, and I managed to watch all of that. |
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